The Swiftshot Alchemist
by Nyxiee
Summary: When a young woman with a sing-song voice and peculiar heritage passes the State Alchemy Exam, Alphonse Elric knows she's something special, more than he first realizes. With Amestris in plummeting turmoil, is it possible to find happiness and comfort with those around you? To overcome challenges and live life to the fullest? Rated M for later chapters, violence, language etc..
1. Coming Home

**Disclaimer:** I do not own FMA or any of the characters. They belong to Arakawa-Senpai~ I only own my OC's, my made up towns/cities/countries/other misc characters and this fanfiction.

 **Author's Note:** I originally wrote this story for myself and anyone close to me who wanted to read it. But I figured I'd let others read it too, provided I don't get overwhelming bad criticism. I do however welcome CONSTRUCTIVE criticism, so please review somewhat kindly.

The title sucks for now, 'cause I'm still writing out chapters when inspiration and motivation hits me. That being said, I can type out whole chapters within a day, but it might take me a few more days/weeks/months to actually publish it, since I'm very fussy and do reread my work and add or remove tibits. So bare that in mind in case you get the urge to nag me for an update. :P

I aim for this to be the very first fanfiction I actually finish, and it is also my very first FMA fanfiction. Yays~

Feel free to PM me for any questions/queries about this story, or even just to say hello :3

 **Author's Note 2.0:** Woah okay, so I didn't think that many would actually enjoy this story xD So I've gone and made subtle fixes/changes/additions to the chapters that have been posted up until now (March 1st 2017) ALSO, this story is now on Archive of Our Own (With art!). The reason for that is that later on, I will be posting a lemon or two in the future, so this here is the 'clean' version, and the version on Archive of Our Own will be citrus-y~!

Another thing to keep in mind is that I do not have (let alone know of) anyone who could beta this story for me. To be honest, I'm a little unsure if I need one or not. I don't update frequently either, but it would be nice to have that someone to just say "No, see, this part here makes no sense, try changing it to..." or even just pointing out my minor spelling/grammar mistakes. I guess if anyone who has done it before (also who actually likes this story too) wants to do it, then just inbox me or something x3

* * *

 **Chapter:** Coming home

 **Summary:** Home sweet home...

* * *

May, 1922.

The thumping sound of a book being snapped shut resonated softly in the empty train carriage that clattered along the tracks beneath. The green hills and cloudless blue sky rolled by as a 21 year old Alphonse huffed out an exasperated sigh, his golden locks gently falling over his eyes. He was irritated at himself for constantly having his head in an alchemy book, and never allowing a chance for himself to unwind.

 _'Maybe some family time will help me relax a bit.'_ He thought to himself as he rested his arm on the windowsill, his hand supporting his chin as he stared out to the rolling hills of the countryside. The land that passed by began to look familiar and he knew he wasn't too far from his destination.

It had been a while since he last been home to Resembool, the last time being for Edward's birthday a few months ago. Even though Alphonse was now in the Military, and was recently promoted to Colonel, it was still no excuse for the uncharacteristic lack of effort he put into visiting home. It wasn't like he wasn't allowed to take the time off, he had just been keeping himself so busy with his studies and work that he lost track of not only time, but what day and month it was too. He cleared his mind as best he could and closed his citrine gold eyes, letting himself slip into the blank darkness which was what his dreams consistent of the past couple of years.

What felt like a very short five minute nap, Alphonse was rudely awoken by the sound of the train's whistle being blasted loudly as it began to decrease its speed. He stretched out his body to work out the kinks and yawned before standing up to put on his grey trench coat and collect his luggage from the overhead storage. Slowly, he walked to the end of the carriage as the train began to pull into the station. The car jolted forward then back when it halted, but Alphonse kept his balance as he pulled open the door and stepped out onto the platform just as the conductor called out in a loud, deep voice "Last station! Resembool! Next train to depart for East City will leave in fifteen minutes!"

The quaint station was surprisingly bustling with people, who were all calling out to friends and relatives, bidding farewells or greeting each other. Alphonse began walking through the small crowd, his eyes scanning the people for another pair of eyes that resembled his own in color.

He frowned when he failed to find him, muttering out his frustration to himself. "Jeez, expect Brother of all people to be late to meet up with me."

Suddenly, a muscular arm was thrown over his shoulders and tugged him downward roughly. "Who are you calling late, Colonel?!" Edward said as his other hand came up to ruffle his younger brother's blonde hair.

"Would you rather I call you short instead? You know I still have about an inch over you right?" Alphonse smirked arrogantly as he challenged him with sarcasm.

He winced as he felt the arm tighten around his neck. "Don't start that crap Al!" Edward scolded with a smirk on his face, being too happy to see his brother again to get too temperamental about his height.

Alphonse gave him a shove to remove himself from his brother's iron like grasp. Even though he had his real arm back, he still had incredible strength as if it was still made up of automail, and would probably crush him if he gripped any harder.

The two men walked out of the station, boisterously shoving, bumping, punching and slugging one another as they started on the path home. They were laughing and joking with each other, as well as teasing one another about a few things here and there. This was how they were whenever they reunited, rough-housing one another as they did when they were young boys.

The sun was shining brightly that day, with little to no clouds at all. Alphonse was grateful for such weather, as he felt more alive than anything when it was like this. He inhaled the fresh air deeply, the smell of grass and soil, growing wheat and fresh cut firewood satisfying his senses. As they headed further up the road that lead to the Rockbell-Elric home, another familiar smell caught his attention. Apples, pie crust and cinnamon all rolled together made the most mouth-watering scent.

"Winry baked an apple pie?!" He exclaimed joyfully.

"They get better and better every time she bakes it..." Edward said with pride. "..and I'm the lucky dog who gets to enjoy it." He boasted to his brother, knowing how much Winry's apple pie was his favorite thing to eat.

Alphonse's smile widened to a cheeky grin. "Yeah, I can see that, Brother." He said as he reached out and poked at Edward's stomach playfully.

"Hey! I'm not fat!" Edward yelled out as Alphonse had started running up the road to escape his brother's rage, laughing loudly. "Get back here Al!" Edward chased after him.

They reached the house after a short sprint. Alphonse stopped a few short feet from the steps and put down his luggage to catch his breathe. Little did he know that Edward was still intent on getting a hold of him. Alphonse spun around just as Ed had leapt forward and tackled him to the ground on his back.

"I'm not fat damn it! Take it back!" Edward yelled out as they laughed and wrestled one another roughly at the bottom of the stairs to the porch. Winry came through the front door when she heard the two men yelling and laughing outside, having heard the end of the apparent conversation.

"No Ed, with the amount of food you eat, it'd take a whole military mess hall to make you even slightly chubby." She said so matter-of-factly and Alphonse burst out laughing beneath a stunned and slightly offended Edward, who had Alphonse pinned.

Alphonse shoved him off and got back to his feet to brush himself off before walking up onto the porch to embrace Winry in a warm hug. "Welcome home Al. Of course, there's a fresh pie made just for you."

"I'd know that scent anywhere. You're the best Winry. Thank you." He said as he stepped back from her and smiled fondly. He suddenly heard light, rapid footsteps coming from behind Winry. She stepped aside and a little sandy blonde haired boy, with eyes that resembled Edward's immensely, came running out and towards Alphonse.

His big, bright golden eyes lit up with glee as he gasped dramatically. "Uncle Al!" The little boy ran towards him with open arms.

Alphonse bent down and caught him as the young boy jumped into his arms. He swung his nephew up high into the air above him and laughed as the boy squealed and giggled excitedly.

"Wow! Look how big you are now Tommy! Another year and I reckon you'll be taller than your Dad." He smugly looked over his shoulder to see Edward still kneeling on the ground, an irritated vein popping out of his temple and snarling as he balled his fists, shaking them at him.

"What is this? Pick on Edward Elric Day?" He said with an incredulous look.

"No, that's a weekday, Ed." Winry snorted with amusement as she folded her arms.

"Daddy's shooort!" Thomas called out loudly as he pointed towards his father. This made Edward dramatically upset and proceeded to throw himself forward to face-plant into the ground.

"Even my own son mocks me?!" He muttered against the ground as he heard the three laughing and began sulking to himself.

"Come on you pansy; help me get dinner started while Al gets settled." Winry stated as the three head inside, eventually followed by an ego-drained Edward.

* * *

Later that night, the family are all sitting around at the dining table after finishing dinner, quietly chatting and enjoying the moment. Edward was being a doting father and patiently helping his son shovel mouthfuls of food into his mouth while Winry was casually reading an article in an automail magazine and lightly conversing with Edward. Alphonse was staring down affectionately at his 13 month old niece as he held her in his arms and nursed her with a bottle. He watched as her bright topaz blue eyes fluttered softly when she began to doze off.

"Her eyes are a lot lighter than yours Winry." He said softly in a hushed tone.

Winry smiled lovingly at her daughter and reached over to stroke the young girl's light blonde locks. "Yeah, we think it's because of the Xerxesian gene that Sarah's eyes are a bit lighter."

Alphonse placed the now empty bottle on the table and cradled the tiny child to his chest. "Would you like me to go put her down for the night Winry?" he asked as she had begun to gather the empty plates and bowls from the table.

"Oh that would be a great help, thanks Al." She said as she passed a washcloth to Edward, who began scrubbing the mess from Thomas' face vigorously, muttering at how he could get more food on his face than in his mouth even with his help.

He got up and left the dining room and carried the sleeping child to the room that was once Pinako's. His heart twisted in pain slightly when he entered the room. Pinako had peacefully passed away a few months after Sarah was born. Though it had devastated their little family, he knew they'd get by. After all, Edward and Winry were married with two wonderful children now. They would be there for each other for the rest of their lives. He sighed as he gently lowered the child into her crib, pulling the soft blankets over her. He wondered what it was like to have this, a family. Edward appeared to be blissfully happy, even without his alchemy, and so did Winry. Was it really this simple?

Even though he was happy to be back in his body, the past few years he still felt like he was missing a huge part of him. He spent so much time researching and studying alchemy and alkhestry, that he sometimes forgot the reasons for it, and forgot the things that were truly important in life. The thought would always instantly make him feel guilty for not enjoying life in his flesh body as much as he once vowed he would when he got it back. In truth, he sometimes still felt like he was still inside the armor, emotionally. But being the optimist he was, he never dwelled on it much. Nor had he told anyone how he felt, especially Edward.

He quietly left the baby's room and headed back downstairs. He was met halfway down by Edward carrying Thomas, who was leaning into his father's shoulder and looking sleepy, blinking tiredly.

"You alright Al?" Edward whispered when he saw the very lost look on his brother's face.

Alphonse looked down the stairs with his hands in his pockets. "Yeah, I was thinking that it'll be good to spend time with you all. I was also thinking I'd go visit our parents and Pinako tomorrow." He said in a soft tone.

They were silent for a moment until Edward spoke quietly. "I've got to help Winry out with a few things tomorrow throughout the day while she's busy with one of her customer's attachments. You'll be alright to go to the cemetery on your own, right? Then you can come back and spend some time with Tommy and Sarah." Edward replied, feeling guilt-ridden that he couldn't accompany him.

Alphonse smiled reassuringly and nodded. "Yeah, I'll be fine Brother." He began to descend the stairs once again when he heard Edward whisper loudly to him. "Hey Al..?"

Alphonse looked up to the top of the stairs to where Edward now stood.

"It's good to have you home again. Thing's just aren't the same without you around, even if it is just for the weekend." Edward said with warm affection before walking off down the hallway upstairs, leaving Alphonse smiling with warmth blossoming within his chest.

It was sure nice to be back.


	2. Bad Mornings & Silver Charms

**Disclaimer:** I do not own FMA or any of the characters. They belong to Arakawa-Senpai~ I only own my OC's, my made up towns/cities/countries/other misc characters and this fanfiction.

 **Author's Note:** I welcome CONSTRUCTIVE criticism, so please review somewhat kindly. Also feel free to PM me for any questions/queries about this story, or even just to say hello :3

* * *

 **Chapter:** Bad Mornings  & Silver Charms

 **Summary:** Not all mornings have bad endings...

* * *

Monday. Again.

Alphonse groaned loudly as he rolled hesitantly out of bed, letting his feet hit the floor with a soft thud. Now he understood why everyone complained about Mondays when he once never understood why.

He was now back in his Central apartment after returning home from Resembool the day before; a weekend that seemed to pass by far too quickly for his liking. Regardless, he had enjoyed seeing his brother and family again, and made a point to go back more often than he had been. He would have to be back in less than a month anyway, as his 22nd birthday was just around the corner.

His apartment was quite pristine and rather spacious considering the handsome pay check being a State Alchemist of his rank brought in. The largest part of the apartment was the living room, with two long burgundy sofas facing towards one another and a coffee table with a small vase of daffodils between them situated in the middle of the room. It also had two large windows with a view of the Central Gardens. To the left of the windows was a decently sized kitchenette with a small rectangular dining table. To the right side of the apartment were two doors, leading to two rooms of the same size that had a connecting bathroom between them.

Alphonse had turned the room without windows into a study, while the room he currently stood in had a sizable double bed, two nightstands either side of it, a chest of drawers and lastly, a large window with a built in sofa with a few pale blue cushions strewn about on it. Rather luxurious really, at least in Alphonse's opinion. He had always taken a little time to make sure things appeared somewhat presentable. Besides being a neat and tidy person in general, he had other reasons to be. He would occasionally have female company every now and again. Though not quite the same way a certain flame alchemist would entertain ladies.

It has only happened a few times since returning to Amestris after being heart-broken by May, albeit unintentionally. Neither of them was prepared for the fact that May was already, unknowingly, betrothed to another man of a rival clan in order to strengthen bonds between two families. May had to do what was right for the sake of her clan's people, so they had to end their relationship on mutual terms and remain as good friends.

Once he began dating woman closer to home though, Alphonse found that they had a tendency to 'leave' shortly after receiving sexual favors. Mustang had simply assured him that that was just what Central woman were like, but it still didn't make him feel any better about it and more often that not, it left him feeling used and empty deep inside his heart. After all, Alphonse was a sweet, gentle and kind man who loved the idea of romance, rather than that of the flesh kind. But it had been a few months since he had been with anyone that way, and had been far too busy with his recent study to care much for finding it.

He would take each and every day as it came. Like he always has.

* * *

Alphonse hurried about showering and getting dressed when he realized that he was running a little late on this particular morning.

 _'Of all the days I had to sleep in, it had to be on the day I had the meeting with the Fuhrer!'_ He scolded himself inwardly.

He had almost ripped his white shirt when he roughly tugged it on, nearly tore the zipper off his blue uniform pants, narrowly missed zipping his 'delicates', and fell over trying to put his boots on. He figured it was just not going to be his day today. Grabbing his military jacket, he raced out of his apartment, locked the door behind him and hastily made his way out of the complex at a brisk walk while tugging the jacket onto his body, barely taking a moment to notice the newest extra star on each shoulder.

It was quite a humid, mild and overcast late Spring day, and it looked as if it might rain later on, for which Alphonse cursed at himself for forgetting his trench coat. Nonetheless he quickly made his way to Central Headquarters; arriving a mere five minutes late. But to Alphonse, it wouldn't have made a difference if he was five or forty-five minutes late; late was late in his opinion.

He walked through large double doors to General Roy Mustang's office to meet with him before the meeting with Fuhrer Grumman. After all, it was Roy who had requested Alphonse to accompany him to this particular meeting. But when he entered the room, he found all of Mustang's subordinates including Riza Hawkeye there, but no Mustang.

Riza greeted him with a warm smile. "Well I didn't think I'd need to address anyone as Colonel again for a long time. Congratulations on the promotion Alphonse."

Alphonse grinned sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head. "Uh, thanks Major Hawkeye, sorry I'm late. Where's General Mustang?

Riza's uncharacteristic bright smiling face quickly returned to the usual serious stoic expression at the mention of Mustang, though she seemed to be feigning annoyance. "He's late. Again."

 _'How the hell did this guy make General again? He has no organization at all. Jeez, I really feel for Major Hawkeye at times like this. Her job is more or less babysitting a 37-year-old man!'_ Alphonse pondered to himself as he made his way to his desk, stationed separately from Mustang's subordinates, but situated alongside Hawkeye's and one other empty desk. He let out a quiet exasperated sigh as he looked to Hawkeye.

"So anything new come in over the weekend? Or reports?" he said, settling into his work.

Riza reached for a clipboard on her desk and passed it to Alphonse before clearing her throat.

"There was another train robbery in the West, and a bank robbery in North City which was quickly halted and the criminals apprehended." Riza said in her usual monotone. "Lastly, there was a double murder in the downtown regions of South City, police are working on the case and nothing has come up as far as we are aware. The only notable thing was all of the victim's jewelry and valuables had been removed from their bodies and their home. We suspect it could be the same gang that has been committing most of the major crimes in the South the past year."

Alphonse briefly looked over the report notes on the clipboard that had been handed to him before putting it down in front of him. He turned his face down to look at his desk in silence while crossing his arms over his chest. He was far to used to hearing reports like this. A few months after Grumman took over as Fuhrer, the country had slowly been in creeping into turmoil from numerous criminal activities on large scales. It seemed every week someone would meet their untimely end somewhere across the country, and it gave Alphonse mixed emotions of grief and anger.

The double doors to the office suddenly burst open and revealed a very disheveled and panting Roy Mustang. He stood there a moment catching his breath before he looked over to Alphonse and wiggled his middle and index fingers to gesture for him to follow.

"Come on… We're late."

"You mean, you're late, General." Hawkeye said with an unimpressed tone as Alphonse briskly stood and walked towards the open doors to accompany Mustang, leaving his souring thoughts for another time.

"Uh huh, sure. Spank me for it later Hawkeye." Mustang saw her intimidating brown eyes dangerously darken, and before giving her a chance to respond to his suggestive, but sarcastic remark, the pair quickly marched of out the office and down the vast hallway.

"I'd choose your words more carefully General. You know she's more than capable of ending you quicker than you can even think of drawing a spark." Alphonse cautioned in friendly manner as he walked beside the ravened haired man, who was briefly doing what he could to straighten out his appearance.

Roy cocked an eyebrow and smirked slightly. "Oh? I should tell you I manage to make her blush on Saturday then."

Alphonse snorted with amusement. "Let me guess. You told her in detail how you polish your gun?"

Roy blinked and looked at his youngest subordinate and friend with surprise before letting out a loud chuckle. "No but, that's not a bad idea Alphonse."

Alphonse merely shook his head and chuckled. "I had nothing to do with it then. I enjoy living, thank you."

When Alphonse had joined the military and passed his State Alchemy exam, he was quickly recruited by Roy Mustang, something Alphonse was grateful for. The two men, despite their age and personality differences, had become very close friends. They always had each other's backs, both professionally and personally, and confided in one another for numerous reasons.

The two briefly talked about the weekend and Alphonse's trip back home as they made their way to Fuhrer Grumman's office. The conversation on Fullmetal's height didn't go unmentioned of course.

* * *

The three men sat together in a large room that was the Fuhrer's office. Roy and Alphonse sat on one sofa while Fuhrer Grumman sat on the sofa across from them. They had been chatting quietly and humorously for a short while before Grumman brought to attention the reason of the meeting.

"As you both are aware, the State Alchemist exams began today, and continue on for the next two days. As we speak, the written tests are already being conducted. I have already assigned a few State Alchemists to evaluate today's results, but I would like the both of you to look over the applicant's information sheets, the ones who are successful today of course. You know the drill Mustang, to pick out the peculiar and stand-outs, since you know that lately, I may not have time to attend every applicant's examination. I'll have the sheets sent to your office before the day is through. After that, I'd like for the both of you to be on the judge panels for the next two days of the exam." Grumman finishes and takes a sip from his tea.

"Yes Sir." Roy simply nodded as he sat back comfortably in the sofa with his arms folded contently, a foot resting atop his opposite knee. This would be his 6th year doing this task, and he knew it all too well. He had insisted to Grumman that Alphonse would very much be great for the job also, not that it took much persuading in the first place.

Alphonse took on a more upright position as he spoke. "Sir, though I'm flattered you'd assign me to this task, shouldn't someone with more military experience be better for the job?"

Grumman chuckled softly, obviously sensing the young man's doubts. "I think you sell yourself short sometimes Alphonse. You realize you're the youngest person to ever reach the rank of Colonel in the Military right? Setting aside your alchemy and your past for a moment, you've done some impressive work since joining. Not to mention aside from Mustang, you are the only Alchemist in the Military who can perform alchemy without an array. Your alchemic prowess and knowledge alone is enough for me to know that you'll make an excellent judge during next two days, and will be a great help in deciding this year's successful applicant."

"Thank you Sir. I'll do my best." Alphonse was still a little hesitant despite the reassurance. But he now had something exciting to look forward to. Not only would he be able to see other people's alchemy and their theories, he would also be playing a very important role in aiding Grumman in choosing the right person for the job. The whole process of choosing the right applicant had become a lot more intense and strict, so as not to recruit a person that had the wrong intentions. As well as the stricter conditions, it wasn't every year an alchemist was enlisted. If no one quite reached the cut, then there'd be no new State Alchemist.

* * *

It was early evening, just as the sun was about to set in the sky when Alphonse left his apartment for the second time that day. He had simply been home to shower, eat and change before he was on his way to meet with Roy at a nearby bar to casually go over the information sheets they had received before finishing work. Not surprisingly, only 18 of the 46 applicants had been successful by the end of the first day of exams, so there wasn't much to be done at all.

Despite the bad morning, he had a reasonably good day, but still found his train of thought to be wondering off into nothingness. He walked along the streets of Central, illuminated by the lights flickering a soft glow when it began to darken in the sky. His citrine eyes were fixed to the pavement before him as he strode along, deeply lost in his own thoughts.

As he rounded the corner to the bar, he heard a woman gasp loudly then felt her body slam against his broad chest, knocking him off his feet and landing with a thud. The woman was also knocked back onto her rear and winced from the hard tumble onto the cobblestone pavement.

Alphonse groaned softly as he reached to rub the back of his head, having bumped it on the ground as he landed. He heard the woman curse at herself under her breathe as she frantically recollected herself and stood.

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry. I'm in a hurry and can't stop. Please forgive me. Uh... Here, you can have this." The woman rushed out in a flurry of words, her voice sweet, but smooth like whiskey running warm down one's throat. The most peculiar thing about it was how foreign it sounded.

 _'Her voice... Her accent... Wow.'_

He was momentarily stunned by what he heard as he slowly began to sit up. Seemingly out of nowhere he felt a small glass bottle being forced into his hands. He quickly looked up to see the woman that had passed him the tiny item but she was out of his sights already, having quickly sprinted off to avoid further tardiness on where it was she was meant to be.

Alphonse slowly brought himself back to his feet and dusted himself off slightly when something of sparkling silver caught his eye on the ground before him. He bent down and picked up what had gotten his attention; a silver charm and chain, which had snapped halfway along its links.

The charm itself caught his full-fledged attention so abruptly, it would give anyone whiplash if it was a something of a physical force. His golden eyes were wide with shocked curiosity as he ran his middle and index finger over its smooth and somewhat velvety surface.

 _'This is… The Flamel symbol… Does that mean that girl knows Teacher?... Or perhaps even alchemy?'_

He looked at the small sample of liquor that had been shoved into his hands, which was contained within a dark brown glass bottle without a label. He shoved both the bottle and then the necklace into his pocket and proceeded into the bar to meet Roy, who was already waiting inside sitting at the bar.

 _'Perhaps I could ring Teacher and ask her about it tomorrow…'_


	3. Hazel Beauty

**Disclaimer:** I do not own FMA or any of the characters. They belong to Arakawa-Senpai~ I only own my OC's, my made up towns/cities/countries/other misc characters and this fanfiction.

 **Author's Note:** I welcome CONSTRUCTIVE criticism, so please review somewhat kindly. Also feel free to PM me for any questions/queries about this story, or even just to say hello :3

* * *

 **Chapter:** Hazel Beauty

 **Summary:** _'How is it that I've never met this girl before?!'_

* * *

Alphonse reached into his pocket and pulled out the small brown glass bottle and placed it gingerly on the bar before Roy. He raised a curious brow when Roy lifted the bottle and took a small sniff at its contents. Roy paused for a moment and peered at Alphonse before swirling the liquid around in the bottle before his obsidian eyes.

"You say a woman you bumped into just forced this into your hands before you had a chance to compose yourself fully?" Roy asked with a questioning raised eyebrow.

Alphonse's brow furrowed slightly and nodded. "Yeah. It was really bizarre. I would've called out to her but she was so quick to get away, I had no idea which direction she left."

Roy smirked and placed the bottle back on the table. With an index finger, he lightly tapped the cork lid and let out a soft chuckle, which made Alphonse all the more confused at his response.

"Do you realize just exactly what you were handed Al?"

Alphonse gave him an exasperated look. _'I wouldn't be asking if I knew what it was, Mustang!'_

Of course Alphonse had occasional snide comments just like any normal person would; he just was more polite in keeping them to himself, unlike his brother.

Roy knew the young lad well enough to know what he was thinking though and chuckled softly. "This is a sampler bottle of an extremely rare foreign whiskey." Roy muttered with amusement.

"Foreign whiskey? Where's it from?" His curiosity peaked.

"The large island country North-West of Drachma; Iraylia. There's only one place in Amestris that brews and supplies Iraylian beverages like this one, quite nice stuff actually if you're willing to pay the large price for it to be delivered to your door. Nonetheless, don't be wasteful of it. This bottle alone would probably be enough to knock you out cold within the hour if you've not drunk something like this before." Roy slides the bottle back over to him.

"Iraylia. That's interesting." Alphonse muttered absentmindedly as he tucked the bottle back into his pocket, safe alongside the necklace that had remained hidden from Roy.

"Indeed. Somewhat ironic and coincidental actually, considering one of the applicants this year is Iraylian." Roy lifted his glass of bourbon and ice to his lips.

"Really? You've been over them already?" Alphonse was somewhat surprised, considering Roy more or less hated anything that involved any form of paperwork, even if it was just reading over them. The only form of paper that the man seemed to have little trouble in holding in his hands was the damn newspaper.

Roy shrugged nonchalantly and slid a small stack of papers towards Alphonse. "I only briefly skimmed a few, didn't really pay it much attention."

No surprises there. Alphonse rolled his eyes lightly and snorted with amusement.

He took the papers and slowly began reading over each one, though not giving them much thought. None of them really stood out to him as far as he was concerned. After reading through three, he began simply skimming over brief details of each one then tossing them aside to a neat pile, reading out there names and races in a very bored and exasperated tone to no one in particular.

"John Stafford, Amestrian… Riley Connors, Amestrian… Samuel Ford, Amestrian…-" He halted abruptly at the next one he picked up. Utterly shocked for many reasons as he skimmed over the profile.

Roy caught on to this and leaned over to see what had gotten the younger Elric's attention so suddenly. He let out a quiet chuckle when he realized what it might have been.

"Ah, so a young lady is taking the exam this year. This'll certainly be much more interesting then."

Alphonse had ignored Roy's comment for a moment before he responded, somewhat confused when the comment registered in his head. "Isn't there usually a mixture of genders?"

"In the Military, yes. There is a vast mixture. But as far as State Alchemist go, there has only been four women to ever get granted the title since the exams were first established, so it is a bit of a surprise, and rare I guess you could say."

"What's more surprising is that this woman is the Iraylian." Alphonse stated quietly as he reread that her race was Amestrian/Iraylian. Now that he thought about it, he never saw any woman taking the exam the year he had gained his State Alchemist license.

"She's a rarity alright." Roy mused as he looked down into the golden brown liquid in his glass, swirling it slowly in his hand before knocking it back.

* * *

Alphonse struggled to sleep that night, due to the humidity making his skin hot and clammy as he lay upon the sheets in nothing but his grey boxers. A light sheen of sweat shone somewhat on his exposed torso in the moonlight that billowed into his room and cascaded over him. Another reason he couldn't sleep was that he couldn't get this mysterious woman he had bumped into out of his mind. He had a biting tinge of guilt for knocking her over, and felt unsettled that he couldn't apologize. Always the gentleman; he held this morale. But the thing that was fraying his mind the most was the silver necklace he had recovered after the fall. When he got home after leaving the bar that night, he had transmuted it to repair the broken link and added a touch more metal to make it a little stronger than it had been originally to prevent it breaking again.

He lay on his back sprawled widely out over the sheets, gently twiddling and caressing the charm between his fingers above his face, rereading the small inscription engraved on the back of it.

 _'May your arrows always find their target. I.C'_

Alphonse had no idea what it was supposed to mean, but the initials had given him an answer to one of his queries, which then only created more. He continued to ponder over it until he exhausted himself, finally beginning to feel the sleep crawling to him and closed his heavy eyes to slip deeply into the darkness, the silver necklace gently cradled within the palm of his hand as he slept.

* * *

The following morning, Alphonse practically leapt out of bed, feeling surprisingly energized considering the lack of sleep he had. He was excited for the exams today, the last time he attended the exams was when he was applying for his own State certification. Today he would have a different vantage of it all. He showered, had breakfast and dressed, slipping the silver charm necklace into the breast pocket of his shirt then left for Headquarters.

Alphonse arrived just as Mustang did, and the pair headed straight for the room today's exam was being held in. The vast, grey polished marble room that had little furniture was cool, compared to the humid air outside that morning. There was a long oak desk at the end of the room with five chairs. Seated in two was a middle aged Brigadier General State Alchemist and an older non-alchemist General.

Roy and Alphonse walked over to take their seats on the opposite side of the middle chair, with Alphonse on the far end. Roy began conversing with the other two soldiers while Alphonse was happy to remain quiet, only responding to the odd question or two. The door opening got all four men saluting and at attention as Fuhrer Grumman and two of his assistants walked in, muttering and chuckling for them to be 'at ease', to take their seats and relax. The assistants stood either side of the door.

"Looks like my work has lightened slightly for now, so I can attend all exams today and hopefully tomorrow." Grumman spoke in a chirpy tone. He reached for the pile of applicant papers Roy had passed to him and began sifting through them.

A small 'oooh' and a cheeky chuckle drew from his lips when he stopped on one paper in particular, which both Alphonse and Roy assumed was the young woman's. Grumman held the pile of papers out for one of his assistants to take and requested for them to start sending the applicants in one by one.

As each interview past, time seemed to be getting slower and slower. Usually Alphonse was quite attentive, but today felt like it was dragging on. He chalked up the reason to be because he was tired, even though it truly wasn't the reason. He didn't think the interviews would be so… _boring_. Alphonse's train of thought began going back to the charm and the faceless woman; the need to call Izumi and question her over it growing desperately. That is until the last applicant to be interviewed walked into the room.

The young Iraylian woman walked into the room and stopped in the center before the Fuhrer and the four men. Her shoulders rose, and then slacked slowly as she appeared to be calming her nerves with a deep breathe. Her bright, round hazel eyes snapped open and looked up before her, her expression calm and serine, but also serious and focused.

The room fell into a deep silence, and to Alphonse, everything felt as if it might stop completely as he took in her appearance. He had seen a lot of pretty girls before, and was never shy about expressing it so, but this young lady that stood before them made his breathe hitch in his throat. Her long burgundy brown hair cascaded down to the small of her back like a long waterfall of silken locks, with her front bangs hanging loosely over her brows. Her creamy, yet pale complexion was evenly tanned from the sun, which complemented her eyes. Those eyes were like Hughes' eyes, hazel; but unlike anything he's ever seen before. There was almost no way to describe them; almost wishing he could look deeper into the mixture of sapphire, emerald and gold within them. Below the corner of her right eye was the sweetest little beauty mark, giving of an alluring appearance to her rounded eyes. She appeared classy, yet simple in the way she dressed; wearing a simple knee length A-line chocolate brown skirt and a light butter-yellow blouse with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. A small, brown leather belt separating the two garments at her waist expressed how generously curvy she was in the right places.

Simplicity at its finest.

Alphonse was abruptly knocked out of his stupor and brought back into the now when he felt Roy reach over and close his slightly agape jaw. His face flustered and he turned it away slightly, leaving Roy to chuckle inwardly at his expense. Alphonse dared a glance at the woman to make sure she hadn't caught him staring, but she seemed to have her attention directed at Grumman for the moment. He cleared his throat as he slowly regained his equilibrium.

"Sorry to have to have made you wait so long Miss Fox." The other General muttered.

"No trouble at'all, Sir." She replied earnestly with a nod of her head.

 _'As I suspected, it's the woman I bumped into!'_ Alphonse was nearly knocked off his chair at the sheer force of his realization as he had all the proof he needed from hearing her voice again. He stared wide eyed at Miss Fox, struggling to contain the surge of excitement that blossomed within his chest. _'So it was her… She knows Teacher!'_

The interview proceeded with the same questions, which was more or less reviewing her personal details and getting an insight to her personality, seeing if she would be right, psychologically, to be a State Alchemist.

Alphonse found himself hanging from her every word, the sing-song ring in her voice was enthralling, having his own little thoughts and responses about each of her answers.

"You're full name and date of birth please Miss?" The older General on the opposite side of Grumman would be asking the questions this time around.

"Juniper Joselyn Fox. My date of birth is October 11th, 1900." She responded confidently, as were all her answers.

 _'Even her name is pretty; unusual, but pretty. Juniper…'_ Alphonse repeated it in his head over and over.

"If I may ask without offending you Miss Fox, you're an Amestrian citizen and were born in this country, yet your accent is very much different. Though we suspect how, would you please enlighten us here on how this is so?"

She nods. "Yes Sir. My family had come to Amestris years before my mother fell pregnant with me. I was born in Thal, the small town in the South. My family and I returned to Iraylia when I was 2 months old due to… unfortunate family circumstances… and I was raised there. We returned in 1911, and have lived in Kadayr since."

 _'Kadayr; that's the near Dublith. Maybe that's how she knows Teacher.'_ Beside him, Alphonse didn't notice that Roy was finding his behavior surprisingly entertaining and comical, resisting the urge to laugh at the young Elric, who looked like a bewildered, love-struck puppy.

"How did you learn alchemy? Have you had any alchemy training?"

Again, she nodded. "I began expressing an interest in alchemy when we returned from Iraylia, at the age of 11. My Da allowed me to read alchemy books and I taught myself the basics, as well as a little more of what I could manage at the time. In 1918, I was pointed towards Izumi Curtis, an alchemist and housewife in Dublith." Juniper let a small soft smile of fondness grace her lips before continuing. "I was her apprentice until 1920, after which I studied more areas of alchemy and concluded with my own theories and practices to suit my styles of fighting and aiding those in need."

 _'How is it that I have never met this girl before?! I've visited Teacher within those years a few times, I'm sure I did!'_ He was completely baffled.

The interview continued for another 15 minutes, and everyone on the panel seemed pleased with her answers, even getting a little laugh from one of her fiery responses about 'Equivalent Exchange' and what she thought of the principle of it. To them, she appeared to be pretty even tempered and suitable for the position if her practical talent is as good as her results thus far.

Alphonse now knew who to return the necklace to, but just like Monday evening, she had evaded him before he could even blink. He groaned in frustration, knowing he would have to wait even longer to return the charm.

Later that night, his dreams were the usual insipid darkness. But within this darkness, emerged intelligent, glimmering, round hazel eyes that somehow seemed to lull him into a peaceful sleep.


	4. Cupid's Arrow

**Disclaimer:** I do not own FMA or any of the characters. They belong to Arakawa-Senpai~ I only own my OC's, my made up towns/cities/countries/other misc characters and this fanfiction.

 **Author's Note:** I welcome CONSTRUCTIVE criticism, so please review somewhat kindly. Also feel free to PM me for any questions/queries about this story, or even just to say hello :3

* * *

 **Chapter:** Cupid's Arrow

 **Summary:** The final test; a mock battle! Flame Vs...?

* * *

In a hotel room not far from Central Headquarters, a young alchemist was preparing to leave for her final exam that would hopefully earn her state qualification. Her stomach was in knots and twists as she tried to eat what she could manage of her small breakfast. Once she had finished and cleaned up, she gathered the items she'd need for today, took a deep cleansing breathe, and left with a look of determination in her hazel eyes.

Not far from this hotel, a young State Alchemist Colonel was energetically walking toward the small military training fields, where practical exams would be taking place. Alphonse was on cloud nine today, the task he'd been assigned the past few days had been a welcome distraction from everything else that would usually trouble him.

Once he arrived, joining Roy, Grumman and the other two men from the previous day, they awaited for all 18 alchemists to arrive. They would begin as soon as they were all here.

When people started to arrive, Alphonse was surprised at how many different methods were to be used to have alchemic circles ready quickly. One man had tattoos on his hands, another wore a ring, but most opted for drawing circles in the ground, or had a ready-made sheet of material with an array drawn or stitched into it. He sincerely hoped that no one had the ability to perform alchemy the way he and Roy could, knowing what kind of dark secrets that method had behind it.

When he spotted Miss Fox arriving, he thought she looked as lovely as she did the day before. Her hair was in a charming French braid that cascaded down her back, which revealed two diamond studs in both ears and two silver cuffs in the left. She wore dark brown pants that clung to her legs firmly and a form fitting sleeveless white blouse. A silver bracelet was worn on her left wrist, and a gold one on the right. Also on her left forearm, she wore a brown etched leather arm brace, to protect her inner arm it appeared. He was a little taken aback with the items she had arrived with. No not items, weapons.

Slung over her back was a moderately sized bow with unique little carved markings across its limb, the bowstring sitting diagonally over her torso which held it in place. Hanging from a leather belt at her hip was a quiver, full with fine, white feather-tipped arrows. He noticed at the tip of the lower limb of the bow, was a few delicate brown and white falcon feathers with green and blue beading hanging there. This weapon was clearly a personal item too.

A few others appeared confused at the items she brought too, but no one dare say anything of it. Alphonse heard soft chuckling from his left and turned, along with Roy, to see that Grumman was amused.

"Miss Fox seems to be quite the intimidating little minx." He nodded his head in the direction of a few of the younger alchemist. Their faces were pale with fraying nerves once the young woman had arrived, who appeared to be totally relaxed and in her element.

Truth was, she was anything but relaxed. Her stomach was still flipping with nerves despite her calm outward demeanor. The looks she received when she arrived didn't help either, but she was warned to expect this…

 _A month prior.._

 _"Juniper, you realize you will be getting judged on everything, right? Your knowledge, methods and theories, attitude, skill and choice of weapon..." Izumi muttered with firm concern as the two women stood outside her home._

 _"I know Teacher. I already anticipate it due to my heritage alone, but I'm used to that." Juniper replied softly._

 _She knew it was going to be tough, but she was determined to do her part for the country she truly called home. It was in danger and she wanted to help in any way she could. Her thirst for adventure and the inability to stick to repetitive, mundane jobs also aided in her decision to join the military. She was surprised when Izumi supported her decision considering she had thought the woman once despised the military._

 _"You better promise me you won't get yourself seriously hurt out there, okay. Or killed." Izumi warned her student firmly as she looked up to the rolling clouds in the twilit sky, her arms folded over her breasts._

 _Juniper couldn't help but roll her eyes and smile fondly. "Let me pass the exam first, and then I'll make that promise. Besides, with the amount of ass-kicking you've been giving me these past two years, I'd be wiser not to make that mistake. I don't think I want to be reminded of how well you can throw a knife."_

 _Izumi laughed. She would miss Juniper. Teaching her had been a real pleasure. From her pocket, she pulled out a silver necklace with the Flamel charm on it. She grasped Juniper's hand and turned it, placing the jewelry in her palm before closing her fingers around it. "May your arrows always find their target, Juniper. Be safe."_

And now..

Juniper subconsciously reached up and placed her hand where her special charm once sat on her chest, hanging from her neck. Once yesterday's exam was over, she left in a hurry to see if she could try to find it again, but her searches were in vain. She sighed softly, then refocused her attention on the final exam which was about to take place. It was make or break time.

Grumman stepped forward and began to address them. "Good morning gentlemen. Miss…" He nodded in Juniper's direction with a smile.

Alphonse noticed her swallowing her nerves hard after this. He knew exactly how she, and most of the men, were feeling this morning.

"Today is the final step in the exams. You've all done well to get this far. Before we begin, I would like to announce that this year, we will be doing the practical exam a little more thoroughly. We will start off with a fairly standard and straightforward freestyle display of your skills. Afterward, said skills will be put to the test in real-life circumstances; a mock battle if you will, with one of the three State Alchemists that accompany me here today. General Mustang, the Flame Alchemist. Brigadier General Walker, the SteelBarb Alchemist. And Colonel Elric, the Rapidblade Alchemist. You could be up against any of these men, so be prepared for anything. But also remember that it is simply a mock battle, and they will have no intention of causing you any real harm." Grumman finished with a loud chuckle as he folded his arms behind his back.

Alphonse and Roy couldn't help but think the old timer had a very sick, twisted and cruel sense of humor sometimes. The younger men now looked like they were ready to flee.

"Sir, do you really think that is neces-… Okay then." Roy began to mutter quietly until Grumman shot him a raised are-you-questioning-my-methods brow in his direction, effectively silencing him. Sure, he was all for pushing the limits, but most of the alchemist here were amateurs compared to himself, Elric and Walker.

Maintaining the order their interviews were conducted in the day before, the applicants one by one put there alchemic knowledge into action. Most of them opted to transmuting something creative, like a detailed statue of an animal or person. One alchemist managed to freeze over the small pond that was in the training grounds, and the man after him used that ice and transmuted it into sculpture. Each of them had their own unique way of performing alchemy, but none of them had a single original idea between them, except for one man by the name of Riley Connors. He was a timid and shy twenty three year old, but had a great understanding of the most standard and basic material he had at his disposal, earth. He moved a large mass of it in one go, creating a smaller, detailed replica of Central HQ. Everyone was impressed that he could move such a large amount, but it left the young man exhausted and unable to move.

Before anyone responded, Juniper stepped from her spot in the line of watching applicants and casually walked towards Connors in the middle of the field. She came to a stop beside him, who hadn't realized she was there until she spoke.

"That was quite impressive Sir. You have some real talent there." She spoke softly as she held her hand out to him. He looked up to her, bewildered, but slowly took her hand when he saw her reassuring smile. She helped pull him to his feet and supported his weight as she walked him back to the group of applicants. It annoyed her that none of them offered to help at all.

"Well don't all jump up at once to help!" She barked at them, startling a few and making them flinch under her burning gaze, her eyes shifting to a dark and dangerous bluish color which expressed her emotion perfectly as she lead Connors over to a nearby bench.

"Don't say it." Roy muttered lowly to Grumman, who was opening and closing his mouth, trying to resist the urge to speak his mind.

"Don't…-"

"Miss Foxy has got growl!" Grumman announced loudly, but luckily out of earshot of those not in uniform.

Roy let out an exasperated sigh as he finished his pointless warning. "..say it."

The other two uniformed men laughed. Alphonse could help but also chuckle himself. Grumman was a good man; a great leader, but he was glad the man also had a sense of humor.

Silently, he had to admit that Miss Fox was continuously surprising and impressing him. Her act of compassion for someone who she was competing against for the State Alchemist certification was inspiring. He knew many compassionate people, but it was still so uncommon to come across.

Once Juniper had returned to her spot with the rest of the applicants, she was called forward to the field. She took a deep breath and made her way out to where the military personnel stood on the opposite side. Taking the same stance and expression as she did in her interview the day before, she awaited their direction.

This time, Roy wanted to be the one to speak to Miss Fox. So he quickly began with small smirk. "Thank you for aiding Mr Connors, Miss. Your compassion has not gone unnoticed, I assure you."

"I only did what I felt was necessary General. But thank you nonetheless." She gave him a knowing look and a light nod, and he returned it. She has certainly earned his respect today.

"You may precede Miss Fox."

"Yes Sir." She says then turns away and walks back out to the center. She approaches a few of the sculptures left behind by the other applicants and takes a stick of white chalk from her pocket. She draws small target-like circles on five of them, just barely visible. Next, she walks away from them, putting some distance between herself and the statues and draws a basic alchemic circle on the ground. Clapping her hands then pressing her them to the circles edge, she transmutes a moderately sized wall, nothing major, but it will do for what she has planned. Stepping away from the wall, her vision of the statues was now completely blocked.

"Right." She whispers to herself as she tugs her bow from her back and positions it before herself. She reached into her quiver and withdraws five arrows, placing them between her teeth while she gets her final element of her display. She tugs a match from her pocket and briskly scratches it along the sole of her boot, setting it alight. Quickly lighting the arrow-tips, she then shakes the flame out of the match and discards it. She could feel the warmth of the flames on her cheek as she re-positions her bow, takes one of the flaming arrows and notches it, the flaming tip pointing towards the wall.

She takes in a deep, steady breathe as she draws the string back, then exhales as she lets the arrow go, sending it whipping through the air towards the wall.

Juniper had practiced this trick many times before, just for this day, and she knew it well. To her, time felt as if it was slowed as her arrow continued to slice through the air. Now it was time for her alchemy. On her gold bracelet, alchemic inscriptions began to glow white as she felt her alchemy begin to shift and form. The flying arrow began to suddenly change its course of direction, veering to the left of the wall and passing it completely. The arrow aligned with one of the targets and the tip plunged into the statues surface, effectively embedding itself and extinguishing the flame with precision.

After all, the flames were really only so that the arrows and her alchemy could be easily observed as it worked. She wasted no time in taking another arrow and notching it, sending it airborne to the right side of the wall and leveling back to hit another sculpture. For the finishing part of her display, she notched the remaining three arrows together at once then released them. One went left, another went right, and the third went up and over the wall. All three arrows separately embedded in to the remaining statues. She lowered her bow to her side then looked over to where the military higher ups were standing, enthralled.

She smirked to herself then replaced her bow over her shoulder and resting at her back. They had questions she needed to answer.

"Young lady, how did you managed to do that? With that wall in front of you even?" Grumman was ecstatic and impressed. Alphonse, Roy and Brigadier General Walker were left speechless.

"Well Sir, I have been well acquainted with a bow and arrow ever since I was six years old. My alchemy, which I hope you were all able to observe well enough, shifted the air flow around my arrows as they flew, resulting in my ability to control and dictate their direction, speed and force when they hit the desired target. The basics of it seem simple enough, but understanding an element that you cannot physically see, but only feel or hear, is a lot more challenging than first believed."

She squats down and takes a small handful of the sand like dirt in her right hand then straightens back up, her palm held out and facing upwards. The same white glow emits from the alchemically engraved gold bracelet, and a small breeze is felt among them drawing in towards her palm. They watch as the breeze picks up the sand and spins it around and around in a small tornado in the palm of her hand.

"There is a vast amount of things I can do with this element. Though even I am still learning the many ways of how it can work and be used."

"Well I'm certainly impressed Miss, I hope you pass the final leg of today's exam of course." Grumman chuckled.

Juniper beamed brightly, the gold in her hazel eyes glimmering with hope as she smiled. Alphonse could have sworn he felt his heart skip a beat and jump frantically in his chest. A small blush began to creep up onto his cheeks as he turned away nonchalantly before Roy could tease him once more.

But Roy wasn't stupid or oblivious, he just let the poor young man be, for now.

* * *

A few hours had passed and it was now Juniper's turn for the mock battle. Steelbarb, Flame and Rapidblade had all dutifully obliged each alchemist in combat, with Grumman deciding who each alchemist would face. She came to the conclusion that she would very much rather battle either Brigadier General Walker or Colonel Elric, because quite frankly, General Mustang's technique scared the crap out of her. How could she be expected to manipulate the air that his flame alchemy relied on too?

"You'll do great Juniper. I know you will." Riley Connors said softly as he sat with her on the bench he had been occupying. He was still much too exhausted to take part in the final part of this exam, and spent the past few hours talking with Juniper. They had quickly become friends.

"Thanks Riley, though I'm not so sure if I go against Mustang." She muttered as she gently ran an index finger along the groves in the craved wood of her bow that she had across her lap. She heard Brigadier General Walker call out her last name.

"Well, wish me luck." She swallowed hard and stood, making her way over to the military personnel.

"You won't need it!" Riley called out to her. He was rewarded with a cheerful smirk from her.

Juniper stopped in front of the men once again for the third time that day, her bow held in her folded hands in front of her belly. She took deep, but gentle calming breathes.

"Well here we are Miss Fox. The very last part of the exams. I must say, between you, me and these men here; I've been looking forward to this battle the most. Now the task of choosing you opponent.." He drifted off in thought.

 _'Steelbarb; an alchemist that can transmute most metal materials into balls that explode and produce steel barbs sent flying in all directions. Miss Fox's ability to control the air would stop the barbs in their tracks. It would be much too easy for her._

 _RapidBlade; the young prodigy with an impressively hefty knowledge of alchemy and alkhestry, who uses push blades with his intense martial art skills. Unpredictable and could be dangerous, but is ridiculously smitten with Miss Fox, and would probably go much too easy on her for her to be able to prove anything. It's hard to say.._

 _Then there's Flame. They both have an understanding of the element, oxygen. They can both dictate how their respective elements move through the air. They'd be evenly matched, unless Miss Fox has another trick up her sleeve.. Hmm…'_

"…I think I'm going to send you out there with her, Mustang."

Juniper's heart sank and her nerves rioted. "Fuck."

They were momentarily stunned at sudden choice of words, but all began laughing at her reaction to Grumman's choice.

Everyone except for Alphonse that is. He was surprised by her outburst, but he saw something else. He saw how nervous and worried she appeared, and he could sympathize with her. After all, she had just sat there and watched while five other men had Roy's flames tossed their way. She knew full well what he was capable of. But he quickly came to the same conclusion Grumman had. They were pretty evenly matched, she just didn't realize it.

Roy stepped out onto the field still humored by her unexpected language. Alphonse quickly took this opportunity to throw a tiny bit of advice to her.

"Try not to focus so hard on strengths. Realizing and understanding a weakness is the first step to overcoming it and overpowering your opponent."

Juniper turned her head to look over her shoulder and her eyes were instantly locked with intense, determined citrine gold eyes. They were breathtaking. His words resonated deep within, and struck a chord. She knew what she had to do.

"Thank you, Colonel." She gave him a small appreciative smile and nodded her head with determination. She turned and walked to the middle of the field and joined Roy.

"Ready to have your ass handed to you by a woman, General?" She spat mockingly.

Roy couldn't help but chuckle. "So feisty, Miss Fox. I like my ass exactly where it is actually. Though I wonder how you'll be able to sit down after I singe yours."

His remark was smug, just as was his smirk. It only put more fuel on the fire that was her burning determination, causing it to roar to life. Her hazel eyes glinted as she stared back into his obsidian, the humor not lost.

"We shall see." Juniper muttered as she turned and walked away to put some distance between them for the mock battle, with Roy doing the same.

Grumman gave them the order to begin, and instantly Roy hand snapped his fingers to send a moderately sized flame hurtling towards Juniper. She held her right arm out in front of her and with her own alchemy, did her best to send the violent flames in all other directions away from her.

His flames were strong, and it took some effort to dictate one element against another powerful one. But she remained focused as an idea popped into her head. Roy sent forth another blast of fire, and this time she shifted the air around her, effectively turning it towards the oncoming flames. With a grunt of effort and more energy put into it, she managed to turn the flames around. Roy's own flames were now coming back at him, something he did not anticipate. Luckily he had enough time to clap his hands and transmute a barrier to escape the rampaging flames before they dissolved into the air around him.

Juniper took the opportunity while Roy had been distracted to draw her bow, notch an arrow and send it flying towards the pond. It was now time for her secondary element to shine. Both her silver and gold bracelets began to glow.

The arrow flew through the air at such a speed, it draws water from the pond as it passes over it, flowing like a ribbon behind the flying arrow. Juniper directs the arrow towards Roy, who now was preparing to send another flame. He never noticed what she had done before it was too late. The soaring arrow passes over him and slows down in speed. Gravity then does its part and takes the streaming water downward onto him, knocking him onto his rear and leaving him completely soaked.

Juniper had outdone the Flame Alchemist.

"What the hell? Where did that damned water come from?!" He was completely baffled as he spluttered out his words, looking like a big soggy mess on the ground. He heard Juniper laughing as she approached him and held her hand out to him.

"Oh, did I perhaps forget to mention I can also use good old H2O as an element. I'm sorry, Sir." She humored with sarcastic nonchalance as she gave him a genuine smile. "I may not have handed your ass to you, but I sure soaked it. Thank you for the battle General Mustang."

At first he grumbled and took her hand, but then he softened and began chuckling as she helped him to his feet. "Well played, Miss Fox."

Soft clapping got their attention. They turned to see Grumman walking towards them, along with Alphonse and Walker.

"Miss Fox, you sly lass! We had no idea you could use water as well." He exclaimed.

"Yes Sir, it is merely my secondary element, though it does come in handy. Especially in emergencies where there is an accidental or risky fire." She said, remembering briefly how she had once helped quickly extinguish a barn fire in her hometown.

"Absolutely. Thank you again for a wonderful display, Miss." He nodded to her as he excused himself so that he may address the rest of the applicants.

"We are thoroughly impressed with the skills that have been set on display for us today. Thank you all for working so hard to make it this far in the exams. Keep in mind that we can only accept one applicant of course. You'll each receive a letter, notifying you of your results. I look forward to seeing the successful applicant in the near future."

With that said and done, people began to leave. Juniper was quickly joined by Riley, who wished to bid his new friend a goodbye.

"Juniper! Hey, that was wonderful. I knew you could do it, and against the Flame Alchemist no less." He smiled brightly, his chocolate brown eyes shining.

"Thanks Riley. I can't believe I managed to do it either." She returned the smile.

"So you're staying at your hotel until you get the results? What are you going to do after that?"

"Well, if I get certified, I'll get an apartment here in Central, or where ever they send me I guess. If not, then I'll simply go back home to Kadayr and wait for next year's exams. What about you?"

"Oh I'm just going to go back to Thal and continue to train. I can't believe we live so close to each other."

"You'll have to come visit me in the tavern some time then." Juniper smiled.

"That's if I'm not visiting you in Central, or where ever they send you." They both laughed then said their goodbyes.

* * *

Juniper began a slow walk home, practically dragging her feet behind her. She was positively exhausted after the past three days that she hadn't realized how much sleep she had actually missed out on. She heard rapid footsteps from behind her and quickly turned to see the Colonel approaching her.

"Miss Fox. Sorry to stop you on your journey home, but I have something that I'm pretty sure belongs to you." Alphonse spoke softly as he stopped in front of her and reached into his jacket, pulling out her silver charm. He watched her eyes shift from a curious green to a joyful gold as her pupils dilated slightly. She unintentionally let out an excited squeak as she felt so relieved. He thought it was adorable.

"Oh my goodness! You found my special charm. I have been frantically searching for it everywhere since Monday when I bumped into someone and it fell from my neck, broken I think." She held her hands out and he gently placed it in her palm. His heart swelled.

"I had a feeling it was special… Actually, I'm the one who bumped into you on Monday evening. I wasn't watching where I was going. I'm the reason it broke, but I took the liberty of repairing it for you. I'm sorry Miss Fox."

She smiled warmly at him. "Juniper. Please call me Juniper. And don't apologize Colonel, if I hadn't of been in such a hurry, I wouldn't have knocked you off your feet." She turned her head away slightly, becoming feeling a little timid all of a sudden. He was a handsome young man, and the way he looked at her made it hard to breathe.

"Alphonse. You can call me Alphonse." He smiled, feeling just the same as her in that moment. The air around them felt like it was buzzing with an unknown force. A pleasant feeling.

Juniper giggled softly. "Izumi always did say you were a sweet young man. I never thought I'd ever actually meet you though."

"I can't believe I've never met you before." He smiled when he heard her giggle.

"Well, I suppose only fate can decide when certain people can meet." She pulled the necklace up to her neck and clasped it together, returning it to its place once more. She was so elated.

"C-Could I persuade fate to allow you to join me for a drink this evening, Juniper?" Alphonse's face was flushed a soft pink. Her name was just as lovely to say out loud as it was in his head.

Juniper's face slowly began turning the same color when his question was processed, but she beamed happily.

"I don't think fate would need to be persuaded. Because I wouldn't mind joining you for drinks at all, Alphonse."

The sound of his name on her voice made his heart beat just that much faster.

* * *

 **Authors Note:** Ok so! Alphonse's State Title was extremely hard to come up with. Taking into account the clichés people come up with (i.e. Soul Alchemist) and the fact that all state titles are meant to INTIMIDATE others. I decided on Rapidblade. Allow me to explain _my_ reasons for this.

 **1.** Alphonse was always fast, even in his bulky armor, now consider said speed when he's in a lighter, human form.

 **2.** Martial arts: He learned this with Edward from Izumi AND could possibly have picked up more skills from Xing. Ling, Lan Fan, Fu and May were certainly very fast and excellent fighters, so I wouldn't put it past Alphonse to train enough to get better than he once was.

 **3.** The push blades. Hughes' push blades to be precise. I imagine Alphonse being a regular visitor to the Hughes family, and I can see Gracia gifting Alphonse her husband's push blades for sentimental reasons. (I'm thinking of adding a little spin-off, basically showing this scene.)

 **4.** Alchemists aren't _always_ named based on their alchemy/skills. Edward wasn't, he was technically named for his temper and automail, so why should this be any different?

And these are my reasons for Rapidblade. I do not plan on mentioning the name very much, just because I'm still not 100% on it, but we will see. Thanks for reading~ :D


	5. Falling & Rising

**Disclaimer:** I do not own FMA or any of the characters. They belong to Arakawa-Senpai~ I only own my OC's, my made up towns/cities/countries/other misc characters and this fanfiction.

 **Author's Note:** I want to say a quick thank you to **KenLala Laura** , **cherrishish** and my good friends Limey and **Necromantic** for their reviews and opinions. I'm also grateful for the story follows. I'm so happy that from the beginning, this story has been enjoyed thus far. So I endeavor to continue to write as best as I can.

I welcome CONSTRUCTIVE criticism, so please review somewhat kindly. Also feel free to PM me for any questions/queries about this story, or even just to say hello :3

* * *

 **Chapter:** Rising  & Falling

 **Summary:** Some people are just meant to meet...

* * *

Sitting in a quaint booth inside the bar they had bumped into each other in front of only a few days before, Alphonse and Juniper were engaged in a deep and humorous conversation about their experiences as Izumi's apprentices. Alphonse threw his head back in laughter as Juniper shared one of her memories with their teacher.

"It happened more than once though. I remember one evening I was in the kitchen with Teacher helping her prepare dinner. I had finished my tasks and I was bored, so I began toying with the water inside a nearby glass. I was clumsy with water back then, so it would splutter outwardly sometimes when I tried to keep in together in a shape. I accidentally put out the flame on the stove that Teacher had just lit, so she went to relight it. I made the water splutter again and put out the relighted flame. That's when I heard her grumble out my name. Before I knew it, I had barely managed to escape the four butcher knives she sent flying in my direction while shouting 'DON'T PLAY WITH WATER INSIDE THE KITCHEN, YOU IRRITATING IRAYLIAN FISH!'" Juniper said in her best Izumi voice and Alphonse burst with laughter, clutching his stomach.

"Hahaha. Iraylian fish? I'd expect nothing less from Teacher, she was and still is, the only woman to ever truly frighten the living daylights out of me and Brother. Well, with the exception of Winry and her perfected technique of wrench throwing. You don't throw any hard or sharp objects too do you?" He said with a playfully raised brow.

She chuckled at his comment. "No no. Throwing things isn't particularly my style. Unless you counted punching and kicking as 'throwing things'."

Alphonse snickered. "We should train together sometime then. I've only ever been beaten by Teacher, and one time by Brother. But it was only once." He reaffirmed the last fact, being proud of his winning streak.

"Sure." Juniper gave him a nod and a cocky grin. She knew well enough from stories Izumi told her that Alphonse was a bit of a softy, especially towards women. She figured that accepting a challenge from him wouldn't necessarily result in a victory for him. She was sure she could put him on his ass if she tried. It became difficult suppressing a smug grin that threatened to tug at the corner of her lips.

"So what's Iraylia like? I've not really heard much about that country until recently."

Juniper quickly registered his question and pressed an index finger to her lips and knitted her brow while she thought of the place she once called home.

"Well, the town where my family was, it was very vast with long winding dirt roads and small homes scattered about the place. Most of the land was just large stretches of rocky plains that were covered in grass and moss. The cliff sides at the seaside were enormous, dropping down far with big rolling waves of the sea slamming into it endlessly. It was mostly overcast a lot of the time, and everything was moist with so much rain and mist. But it was quiet and peaceful, and the people were all so wonderful. In many ways, it was a lot like your hometown." She smiled, turning her gaze to him once again.

"Have you ever been to Resembool?"

She nods. "I have. Helping Da or my brother deliver liquor to one of the local bars there, to Mr Brunswick."

"Oh, Mr Brunswick! I remember him always getting excited about a monthly shipment that would come in." These coincidences just continued to grow in numbers it seemed.

He had learned that Juniper was the daughter of the only Iraylian brewer in Amestris, based in Kadayr. Her small family would deliver shipments in huge horse-drawn carriages all across the country themselves, so they were all well-traveled. Doing so had led her to meet Winry back when they were 15 in Rush Valley when she was making a delivery with her father one time. He wasn't surprised that they had remained friends. What really surprised him was how she had met Edward before.

It had been a month after he and his brother had gone their separate ways to continue their alchemy research a few years ago. Apparently Edward, as usual, got himself into trouble with some thugs in his travels. If Juniper had not been nearby, on her way back from a delivery to West City, then Edward would have been a lot worse off now than he was that day. Edward was the one who had pointed Juniper in Izumi's direction after witnessing her basic, but impressive use of alchemy that saved his ass. She spoke just the words he was thinking.

"I still can't believe we have not met before the exams. Our paths seem to have been crossing more and more as the years have gone by."

"Yeah I know. It's weird, but I'm not complaining." He shot her a bright, genuine smile. She lightly bit on her bottom lip and looked away to fight a blush from appearing as her mind wondered. She didn't notice his citrine eyes darken slightly with an unknown emotion. He swallowed hard then lifted his glass of beer to his lips, effectively halting his own oncoming blush.

"S-So I guess you've got a hard task ahead of you, choosing who to give the certification to." She decided on distraction to rid herself of the blush.

"Yeah, but it's kind of an easy choice for me." He gave her a knowing look, and she rolled her eyes.

"I hope you're not biased. You don't even know how I did on the first exam."

"Well you made it to the second exam didn't you? Do you know what your score was by the way?" He would find out tomorrow anyway.

She nodded, but appeared to be frustrated. With an exasperated sigh, she enlightened him.

"Yeah, 91 from 100. I had some trouble with the advance questions of 'Reconstruction'. I was really sure that would be one part I would be able to ace."

"91 is still an impressive score Juniper. Don't be disheartened by it. If you like, I can lend you some books and notes I have on advance reconstruction. You might find that after reading them, your alchemy would have improved too."

"That would be great, thank you Alphonse." She muttered softly as she picked up her own glass of beer to sip it gingerly. They had both opted to drink lightly that evening.

She watched him take a small leather bound journal from a pocket inside his jacket and a pen. He opened it up and scribbled his apartment address neatly before tearing the page out and passing it to her.

"Come by tomorrow any time after five if you aren't busy. Maybe we can do some note swapping and you could enlighten me further on your air alchemy. I'm really intrigued by how you do it." Alphonse spoke softly as she took the paper from him. He really hoped she would stop by. She was smart, and clearly had a broad knowledge of elemental alchemy he had never seen used before until today. He tried to ignore the fact that he really just wanted to see her again.

"Sounds like a good plan to me. I'll be there for sure." Unbeknownst to each other, they were elated about the opportunity.

* * *

A few hours later, the pair was reasonably tipsy. Once again laughing and swapping stories with each other, learning about one another in the process. It had gotten quite late, and every patron in the bar had left. It was only them and the barman, who knew Juniper and was content with letting her stay just a little longer while he cleaned up, smiling to himself as he watched the two become closer, though he was sure neither of them had a clue. A clock on the wall chimed softly as it struck one in the morning.

"Oh goodness. I didn't realize how late it had gotten. _Hic.._ " At the end of her sentence she hiccuped softly, which caused her to giggle at herself.

Alphonse chuckled. "I guess we should get a move on, I have to be in Fuhrer Grumman's office by 8 tomorrow-... uh this morning I mean."

Juniper nodded her head in agreement as she slid out of the round booth, hiccups still escaping her every so often. When she stood, she turned and waved to the barman.

"Thank you Mr Monroe. Sorry to have kept you so late." Juniper called out as her and Alphonse made their way to the door.

"Anything for you Miss Fox. I'm looking forward to your father's next shipment." His deep voice bellowed across the bar. This made her chuckle softly.

Outside, the midnight spring air was pleasant, if not a little bit on the chilly side. Juniper never thought to have brought a jacket with her earlier that day. She folded her arms around herself and rubbed her upper arms a bit to warm her skin. She didn't realize that Alphonse had shrugged off his military jacket until he placed it over her shoulders. She looked up at him, a little dumbfounded.

"The cold doesn't bother me so much. It's fine Juniper. Besides, I'll walk you back to your hotel which isn't far anyway." He offered her a kind smile before he started to walk down the pavement with her.

She tugged the lapels of the jacket a little tighter around her body. Subconsciously and as discreetly as possible, she closed her eyes and inhaled the soft, comforting scent of Alphonse.

 _'Mmm… smells like Golden Delicious apples, cinnamon and autumn. Warm, golden… just like his hair and eyes.'_

Her eyes snapped open when she realized what she was doing. She mentally scolded herself as she regained her equilibrium and looked ahead of her. _'Get a grip, Juniper. You're a 21 year old aspiring alchemist, not 14 year old love-struck girl with her first crush!'_

They enjoyed light conversation on the short walk to the hotel Juniper was staying in. Once there, they both stood outside the hotel and continued their chatter on purpose, delaying the inevitable. In such a short time, they had found a friendship; a strong bond that neither of them quite understood, as if they had known each other all along.

"Anyway, thank you for walking me back here Alphonse. I had a good evening drinking with you. It was nice to unwind after a month's worth of stress crammed into just three days." She said as she shrugged the jacket from her shoulders and returned it to Alphonse, who folded it over his forearm.

"Yeah, it was good for me too. I remember how stressed out I was with my exam, not something I'd jump to do again, that's for sure."

Juniper giggled and shook her head. "I have to say I agree with you immensely on that."

A moment of silence passed them, but it wasn't in anyway awkward for neither of them. Breaking this silence, Juniper held her hand out to him.

"Well, it was nice to have finally met you. I look forward to tomorrow evening as well." She smiled so brilliantly.

Alphonse returned the smile and reached his own hand out to grasp hers in a handshake. He softly gasped at the contact, and could have sworn her heard her sharp take of breathe.

 _There.._

There _it_ was..

The _spark_ he knew he had felt with her.

Now it was a physical thing, and not just a feeling.

They slowly let go of each other's hand, letting go of the warmth that was there between their palms, having not even shaken each other's hand.

"Night.." Juniper whispered hoarsely as she turned and walked into the hotel. In her mind, she began scientifically summing that feeling up to a misunderstood spark of static electricity. Surely that's all it could have been.

"Goodnight.." Alphonse murmured in a husky tone as stood there and watched her disappear into the building before he too turned to leave. He had felt that feeling before, but never as intense as that had been. As if to confirm his suspicions, he noticed he had the tell-tale symptoms: Heated and flushed cheeks and ears, clammy hands, the feeling of swirling anxiety and nerves in the pit of his stomach and a thumping heart.

He shrugged on his jacket and shoved his hands in his pockets as he made tracks for home. His mouth pressed into a hard line as he frowned deeply.

 _'No, I can't let this happen. I need to think rationally and get control of these emotions. It just can't happen.. It… It wouldn't be allowed to happen anyway if she became a State Alchemist… and I can't bear to be hurt again… or possibly hurt her.'_

That night, he dreamed of her. Her kind voice, her giggle and laughter, and those eyes... They were everything he had imagined they would be up close. A captivating mixture of green, blue and gold. Now they, in all the different shades he had seen of them so far, liberated his dreams.

* * *

"Right, that's everyone here then." Grumman said as Alphonse and Roy sauntered into his office the following morning. They took their seats at a long dark oak table where the Fuhrer, General Burwell and Brigadier General Walker were seated already.

"Let's look over the results from Day One of the exams, and then discuss Day Two and Day Three. In front of you are the results in the written exam." Grumman said as he picked up his own copy to read over as did the other men. Alphonse, and even Roy, only took notice of the results of the three highest scorers.

 _Final Exam Results of Day One_

 _Riley Connors. 100/100_

 _George Kelly. 98/100_

 _Juniper Fox. 91/100_

In fact, all the men seemed to have put back down their paper at the same time after this.

"I will refer to the applicants by their surnames from here onward gentlemen. Let's move this along. As Fuhrer, I have made a list of applicants who I have opted to not be eligible for certification after my evaluations of the Psychological and Physical Exam, due to mental instability, substance abuse or a failed physical exam." Grumman clears his throat and reads out a list of names of the applicants who would not be considered any further.

"Any objections to these applicants mentioned, gentlemen?" He looked up from his list and saw the men shake their heads and mutter 'No Sir'. Pleased with this, he moved on.

"Is there any applicant that any of you may deem unfit or unable to serve the military for whatever reason?"

General Burwell, the non-alchemist on the panel spoke up. "I do have concerns over Riley Connors' weak constitution after his performance on Day Three. He passed both psychological and physical exams, yet he was left unable to move after performing his alchemy. This could be a problem."

The men nodded in agreement as they thought of this.

"That may be true General Burwell, but the state in which he was left had nothing to do with his overall physical or psychological strength and health. To me, it is clear that Mr Connors has not had as much practical training as he could have. Alchemy requires certain energy within and around us that also requires an understanding of said energy. Hence the basic equivalent exchange principle; to gain something is to give something back in return. It's clear that he has not had the opportunity to push himself in training before." Alphonse explained as best as he could to General Burwell, who genuinely nodded in understanding.

"Actually, I was notified by my secretary this morning before you all arrived that Mr Connors requested for his application to be withdrawn and left a small note for us conducting the tests." Grumman said as he rustled through his papers and found the neatly folded letter he was searching for and unfolded it to read it aloud.

" _'I require more training before I believe I am ready to take the exam again, so I am returning home. I won't give up, and will be back next year to retake the tests. Someone recently made me realize that I owe it to myself try my very best'."_ " Grumman chuckled as he refolded the letter.

"A determined young lad if I do say so myself. Perhaps a certain young alchemist inspired him yesterday to do some improvement." The four older men snickered at Grumman's words. Alphonse's lips pressed into a small smile.

"Ahh… Let's get back too it then, gentlemen. Now as far as Day Three goes, I was mostly pleased with Kelly, since Connors has withdrawn, and Miss Foxy is on the top of my list. What are your thoughts?" said Grumman as he folded his hands in front of him on the table. The men let out a small chuckle at the nickname Grumman had already started to call Juniper.

"My choices were going with Connors and Fox." General Burwell muttered.

"Anyone who can put Mustang on his ass is a winner in my books." Brigadier General Walker teased, snickering with Alphonse when Roy began to grumble from the opposite side of the table. After the exam, Burwell and Walker had continued to remind and tease him of his defeat, by a young woman no less.

"As much as I hate to agree with Walker right now..." He huffed through gritted teeth while his brow twitched in frustration, though he remained smirking. "…I was surprised and impressed with Miss Fox's strategy and quick thinking which lead to my unexpected disbarment during the _mock_ battles." He emphasized the point..

Anyone that could do that was worth having in the military.

"Also, her act of compassion towards Connors yesterday proves she has a sense of honor and loyalty, and would probably go out of her way to take care of our own."

He wanted her on his team, that much Roy was certain.

"Her alchemy is uncommon and very unpredictable, as is her fighting style, which would be hard to anticipate. She doesn't rely solely on alchemy to fight or defend herself. She would be hard to overcome in a serious battle. Her elemental alchemy would have many advantages for other soldiers trying to apprehend criminals in situations we might face being overwhelmed. Not only that, but I can see it doing a lot of good in aiding the community, who's concerns we are trying to ease." Alphonse's statement appeared to have convinced the men more on their decision.

Grumman stood and placed his hands on his hips as he announced happily.

"Amestris has just gotten itself a new State Alchemist."


	6. Vanilla Chai Tea

**Disclaimer:** I do not own FMA or any of the characters. They belong to Arakawa-Senpai~ I only own my OC's, my made up towns/cities/countries/other misc characters and this fanfiction.

 **Author's Note:** I welcome CONSTRUCTIVE criticism, so please review somewhat kindly. Also feel free to PM me for any questions/queries about this story, or even just to say hello :3

* * *

 **Chapter:** Vanilla Chai Tea

 **Summary:** Something in common? Do you like it? _'I'm falling too hard...'_

* * *

 _Knock Knock Knock.._

"I'm coming!" Alphonse called out to his front door that had just been knocked on. He jumped up from the sofa he was sitting on and placed his book down on the coffee table as he made his way to the door. Unlatching the bolt and opening the door, he found Juniper on the other side. Today she wore a simple white sundress with her hair cascading down her back in a very charming way.

"Hello." She said softly. Her fingers were gently fumbling with the pages of a book she had held to her chest. She had butterflies in her stomach the whole day since she woke up in the morning.

"Hey there Juniper. Please, come in." He stood aside and held the door open as she walked in. He closed the door behind them and turned around to see her looking around the room.

"Oh wow, this place is ritzy. A Colonel's wage must be pretty good then eh?" She smirked as she teased him playfully.

Alphonse chuckled as he walked towards the kitchen. "Would you like some tea?"

"Oh, yes please."

"I have oolong tea, green tea or chai." He said as he placed the kettle on the stove to boil some water.

"Oooh chai please. You know, chai is my favorite tea actually. Though I usually add vanilla essence to it most of the time" She said smiling softly. She looked up and found him staring at her with a warm expression.

"Chai is my favorite also, and I like adding vanilla too. It's just such a happy and calming tea." This pleased him a little too much, and he knew it.

"Oh and please make yourself at home Juniper. I have the books we spoke of yesterday on the coffee table."

"Thank you Alphonse." She smiled again then walked over to one of the deep red sofas to sit down. She placed her own book down and picked up one from the pile he had set aside for her and began reading quietly. Five minutes later, Alphonse came in from the kitchen and placed a tea tray down on the coffee table and went about pouring the beverage into two cups. He passed one to Juniper.

"Mmmm thank you.." She gingerly took the mug from him and held it near her mouth, inhaling the sweet, yet spicy scent of comforting chai before taking light sips, tasting the sweet vanilla within. Alphonse sat down on the sofa opposite from her and sipped on his own tea.

"So how are you finding these books? Are they helpful?"

"Oh yes, very much. The few things I wasn't sure on before are making complete sense to me now." She beamed at him brightly.

He closed his eyes and smiled, happy to have helped her. "Good, I'm glad."

Juniper took another sip of her tea before placing it down on the coffee table. She picked up the book she had brought with her and offered it to him.

"This is the complete summary of my study on Air alchemy. It has everything from understanding all air and or gas based substances, to how to change and manipulate it."

Alphonse put his tea down and reached for the book. Taking it, he was surprised at how light and relatively thin it was compared to what he was expecting. Juniper quickly took note of his confused expression.

"As I said, it's just a summary. All my other major notes are back at my hotel room. They're kinda… hard to transport. But the summary has all of the key notes." She said as she watched him start to flip through the pages, briefly scanning each page.

"Woah, this is interesting. It makes so much sense seeing it in front of me now. It's not as complex as I first thought."

"Hmm… well, not anymore anyway. When I first started studying it, none of my alchemic equations made any sense. It took me a whole year just to get the basic oxygen and carbon dioxide right. Air alchemy is very unpredictable. There's only so much you can control of it before it goes its own way. It took me years of training to get it to where it is now, but not even I cannot control nature or its windy weather." She giggled, knowing just how much more effort it required when it was a windy day.

"Yeah, I can only imagine. Do you mind if I borrow this for a while?" He continued to flick through pages.

"Of course not. You're welcome to read my notes whenever you want. Well, of course that depends if I stay in Central or not." She looked down at her lap to her knotted fingers. Alphonse had stopped flipping pages and looked up.

"What do you mean? Are you leaving?" Even he was surprised at the worry in his own voice.

"It depends if I get certified or not. Even if I do, I might be transferred to another city where I'd be needed I guess."

Alphonse looked back down at the book and quietly shook his head while smiling softly. He knew she was going to be certified, and he also knew that the chances of her being sent anywhere besides Central were slim. He swore he wouldn't tell her until she was officially notified.

* * *

They spent the next half hour talking about alchemy. Juniper helped Alphonse understand Air alchemy while he gave her better knowledge in reconstruction. She was attentive, and a fast learner; something Alphonse found attractive in her. A loud rap on the door shook them out of their deep study. Alphonse stood up and went to the door with an exasperated sigh. He knew the pattern of the knock, and knew that it was Roy. Unlatching the door, he pulled it open and greeted the General.

"Hey." Alphonse said in in a soft huff. He was a little bothered with being interrupted.

"What's eating you?" Roy raised a brow and chuckled.

"Nothing, I'm just busy studying." Alphonse looked over his shoulder to where Juniper still was deeply absorbed in the book they had both been reading together.

"Well you should take a break. We've got a special letter to deliver to a certain someone I think you may want to see again." Roy teased and he held up an envelope and wiggled it in the air slightly.

Alphonse rolled his eyes. "Don't start that crap, General. She's here. I invited her over to study."

Roy's smug, teasing grin widened and he was about to open his mouth when he saw the younger Elric's eyes burn with warning. He snickered as he swallowed his comment, knowing better than to put fuel on an uncontrollable fire, even if it was just Alphonse. Those Elric's; no matter which one it was, were well known for their temper at the best of times when provoked.

"Never mind then. Do you mind if I come in?" He said as he held up the envelope once more. Alphonse stepped aside to let the man in, closing the door behind them.

A second voice and figure caught Juniper's attention as Roy walked in, and she jumped straight up of the sofa. She was surprised and taken aback at his sudden appearance.

"Good evening General Mustang, Sir." She was smiling, calm and polite, though she was freaking out internally.

Roy chuckled softly. "Relax Miss Fox, I'm not on duty. I came here to get Alphonse to help me deliver your letter to you at your hotel. Lucky for me, you're here." He stepped towards Juniper and passed her the envelope.

She gingerly took it and looked at it for a moment, admiring the red wax seal on the back that had the ardent dragon; the symbol of Amestris on it. After a beat, she began opening it. Pulling out and unfolding the paper inside, she began to read. Soon after, she looked up at the two men with wide, stunned eyes. "Really?"

"Really Miss Fox. Congratulations." Roy said with a genuine smile. Alphonse was also smiling.

She couldn't help herself. She let out a little squeak of excitement and hopped up and down clutching the paper to her chest. Her reaction made the two men laugh.

She gasped softly when she realized something. "Crap, I better call my family right away."

"You can use the phone here if you'd like." Alphonse said, pointing to the telephone on small corner table by the window.

"I'll be off now, you two have a good evening." Roy said with a hint of mirth, which earned a sharp glare from Alphonse.

"Thank you very much Sir." Juniper called out as Roy walked out the door.

"It was my pleasure. I'll see you in the Fuhrer's office tomorrow, Major Fox." He said humorously, being quite pleased with himself when he saw that she beamed at being called by her new title.

Alphonse closed the door behind Roy and turned to Juniper. "I guess that's the good news you were hoping for. I'm so glad you got picked."

"I'm very grateful to you as well Alphonse, since you were on the judge panel. I just hope I can live up to everyone's expectations."

"Actually, you surpassed everyone's expectations."

"You're joking?" She raised a brow

"Do you doubt me?" He smirked playfully.

"Hmm... Do I doubt Alphonse Elric, the RapidBlade Alchemist… Nah!…" She dramatically popped her hip out and folded her arms as she teased him with sarcasm. It simply made him laugh out loudly, and she too joined in the humor.

After the laughter subsided, Alphonse offered her the use of the telephone again, which she accepted. After a brief and hushed phone call, she came to sit back down on the sofa across from the one he was sitting.

"It's a shame I can't go celebrate right now, but I don't want to turn up to Grumman's office with a hangover."

"Good idea, though I doubt it would surprise him. You could always celebrate tomorrow night, since its Friday. You probably won't have to start till Monday anyway."

"Hmm that's true. Hey, wanna do something then?" Her tone was low and suggestive, surprising Alphonse.

"H-Huh?" He tried his best not to blush.

"Tomorrow night. Do you wanna do something to celebrate with me? I don't know anyone in Central, and it'd be no fun celebrating on my own after all." She smiled sweetly and he simply melted.

"Oh, s-sure! Shall we go to Monroe's Bar again?"

"Yeah!" She giggled softly.

* * *

The following day, Alphonse had stopped by Juniper's hotel to meet with her before heading off to Central Headquarters. They had agreed to go together the evening before. As they walked through the vast hallways of HQ, they were discussing what her state title could be.

"What about Thunderstorm?" Alphonse chatted happily.

"What? Thunderstorm? Did you hear me make any thunder on Wednesday or weren't you paying attention to my test?" She replied with amusement.

 _'Oh you made thunder sweetheart… Believe me…'_ Alphonse thought to himself as he simply chuckled outwardly at her response.

Before long, Juniper stood in front of Fuhrer Grumman's desk with Alphonse and Roy not so far behind her, sitting on the sofas.

"Good morning and congratulations Miss Foxy." Grumman said cheerfully.

"Good morning and thank you Sir." Juniper smiled brightly. She heard a faint knock on the office double doors behind her, and heard Alphonse jump up to see who it was as Grumman continued.

"You know, I've had this title picked for you since Wednesday, would you believe?"

"Really Sir?" she said as Grumman passed her official State Alchemist certificate to her. She read over it and found her title.

 _This official document certifies that the nation of Amestris, prefecture of the Generalissimo appoints the name SWIFTSHOT to JUNIPER JOSELYN FOX, in the name of Fuhrer Grumman._

 _The State Alchemist shall follow all orders and policies of the military._

 _A research assessment examination shall be held once every year. Participation in Alchemist Day events is mandatory of all State Alchemists. In the case that the State Alchemist does not show signs of progress in his/her research as a result of the examination or fails to participate in Alchemist Day events, he/she shall be discharged from the services of State Alchemist._

 _The State Alchemist is entitled to the use of ample research funds, unrestricted access to classified documentation, access to various governmental facilities, and a military rank equal to that of "major"._

 _Fuhrer Grumman_

"Oh wow. Thank you very much Sir. I love it!" She exclaimed.

Grumman chuckled. "I thought you might. Ah, and just in time…" He said as Alphonse came up to stand beside her with a black square box in his hands. He smiled down at her as he opened the box for her. Inside was soft violet silk, and nestled atop it was a brand new State Alchemist pocket watch. The silver glistened in the sunlight that poured in through the large office window. She was completely mesmerized by how such a simple, mundane object could hold so much meaning and value. She reached out and touched it's cool, smooth surface with an index finger.

"It feels so… surreal. All my years of study and hard work have paid off. Now I can really do some good." She smiled as her eyes slowly left the watch and made their way upwards to lock with Alphonse, who's smile reflected her own.

"I sure hope so. We need it as of late. Which brings me to where you will be posted at. After careful consideration, and I won't lie; some persuasion by _some_ …" He shot Roy a look. "…I have decided to put you in one of the best teams running in the military, General Mustang's team."

She couldn't help but feel a slight rush of relief flood through her. She wasn't particularly confused by the feeling either.

Grumman started to laugh. "Go spend the weekend celebrating, my dear Swiftshot Alchemist."

* * *

"That title is actually a lot better than I thought it was going to be." Alphonse muttered softly as he walked Juniper to the front gate of HQ. He wanted to go with her, but he still had a day of work to get through first.

"It definitely suits." He added, hearing her soft giggle and looked down at her with a smile.

"It's better than Thunderstorm, that's for sure." She teased with a smirk.

"Okay so I'm not good at titles." He laughed softly as they reached the front gate. They stopped and turned to each other.

"So I'll come to your hotel at seven, right?" He said as he passed her the black box which contained her State pocket watch.

"Right. Then to Monroe's Bar." Said with a playful roll of her eyes. She couldn't help but find it amusing that he had asked this very same question three times already.

"Ha… r-right." He rubbed the back of his head, feeling embarrassed for asking the same thing again.

He was still deep in thought and hadn't even realized that she had stepped closer to him, leaving barely an inch between them. When he did realize, he blushed as crimson as Edward's old coat.

"I just want to say, thank you for all the help you've given me in the past few days. Knowing I have someone I can talk to is going to make staying in Central and away from my family so much more bearable." She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him. But the friendly hug was so brief that Alphonse didn't even have a chance to respond. He simply blushed more and nodded.

"I'll see you tonight." She said as she started to walk away, waving to him.

"Uh… Ye-Yeah… Sure… S-See you then." He waved back, still a little dazed from the contact. He eventually turned and walked back inside with an exasperated sigh.

 _'I'm falling too hard, too soon.'_


	7. Trouble Brewed In The South

**Disclaimer:** I do not own FMA or any of the characters. They belong to Arakawa-Senpai~ I only own my OC's, my made up towns/cities/countries/other misc characters and this fanfiction.

 **Author's Note:** I welcome CONSTRUCTIVE criticism, so please review somewhat kindly. Also feel free to PM me for any questions/queries about this story, or even just to say hello :3

* * *

 **Chapter:** Trouble Brewed In The South

 **Summary:** And so it begins... Revelations usually mark the start of something new, both good and bad.

* * *

The weekend quickly came and passed. Surprisingly, so did Juniper's hangover after Friday _and_ Saturday night, for which she was grateful for. Today was her first day as Major Fox, The Swiftshot Alchemist of The Amestrian Military. She had anxiety building up deep within her belly as she pulled her long violet brown hair into a neat bun, the long tendrils that framed her face fell down over her shoulders. She took one final look in the mirror to check her new military uniform before leaving the hotel room she still occupied. Now that she knew she would be staying in Central, she would have to make time after work to look for an apartment. Juniper didn't like the idea of living in the dormitories.

After a short walk, Juniper reached the front gates of Headquarters. She flashed her pocket watch to the soldiers on guard for clearance then began to ascend the long upward corridor that lead to enormous double doors, where just beyond, the vast open courtyard soaked up the morning rays. It was breathtaking as ever, only this time she felt a surge of pride and nervousness within her. It was her first day after all. Before she could go any farther, she heard a familiar voice call out behind her.

"Juniper!"

She turned around to see Alphonse slowly jogging up to her. She briefly remembered that now they were work colleagues before responding. "Good morning, Sir."

Alphonse was slightly taken aback by the way she addressed him, but he quickly realized why she had done so. "Oh yeah, I guess we'll have to use our titles from now on huh?" He chuckled, slightly amused.

She responded with a giggle of her own then winked at him. "At least until we're off duty."

Alphonse nodded with a smile, then it faded slightly when he noticed her eyes glinting with nervousness. "You look nervous. Try not to worry too much though, I'm sure everything will be fine and you'll settle in really well with everyone." He offered her a comforting touch on the shoulder.

Juniper, who immediately relaxed at his simple touch, let out a deep sigh. "I know, and I'm sure it'll be fine. It's just seeing this place again now that I'm a State Alchemist... it's all so surreal. This courtyard,..." She gestured to the vastness with a gentle wave of her hand. "...this is where it all happened, isn't it?"

Alphonse knew that she wasn't really asking, but knew the fact that this was where the final events of The Promised Day took place. He could see the slight melancholy look in her eyes, and he was sure his were the same. Everyone in the country had suffered that day, not just those who were involved. But at the same time it was also one of the happiest days of his life, when Edward brought him; body and soul, back into the world. He closed his eyes and let the memory come back to him, making him smile.

"Yeah... But it was the ending of a terrible past, and the start of something new for everyone. That's what we should always remember." He said softly. Alphonse wasn't sure if Juniper was aware of what happened to him, and wasn't sure how much Izumi had told her, but he figured he'd keep it to himself for now. Maybe one day he could tell his story to her.

Juniper was now looking at him, admiring his optimism and somehow felt like she could gain strength from it. She did know that he was here on that very day, but that was all. Seeing him smile about it meant that she shouldn't dwell on it too much and try to be positive like him. Alphonse opened his eyes and turned his gold gaze to her. "Shall we get going? Don't want to be late on the first day right?"

Juniper let out a soft chuckle as they turned headed towards the office together.

"So are you planning on finding an apartment or are you going to take up a room in the dormitories?" Alphonse asked.

She nodded. "Yes, an apartment. I'm going to look in the newspaper today whenever I get a spare moment, I'll probably do some walking around and see what's available nearby."

Alphonse paused as he thought for a moment. "There are a few apartments vacant in the complex across from mine, on the other side of the park. Maybe that might be a good place to start?"

"That sounds great. I'll have to go check it out." She smiled warmly and he beamed.

It wasn't long until they stood outside the office doors. Juniper was hesitant, her nerves getting the best of her again.

"Why am I being such a wimp?! It's only my first day for fuck sake..." She grumbled quietly under her breathe to herself. Alphonse found it amusing, though he did sympathize with her.

"You'll be fine." He gave her a reassuring smile as he opened the door and walked through, muttering out 'good morning' to all that were in there.

Roy, who sat at his desk, swiveled in his chair to face the pair entering. "Good morning you two."

Alphonse made his way to his desk and Juniper went to stand in front of Roy's.

"Good morning General." Her peculiar voice got other soldiers' attentions away from their tasks.

Roy stood up from his chair and placed his hands on his desk, looming over it. "Everyone, I'd like you to meet Major Juniper Fox, the Swiftshot Alchemist. She passed her alchemy exam last week and is now part of this team. Get acquainted with her and watch her back, she will just as easily do the same for you, I am sure."

Juniper turned around and saluted the people in the room. "I look forward to working with you all."

After introductions and learning everyone's name, Juniper was given the spare desk besides Alphonse's, along with a few very minor cases for robbery or assault to work on. She knew she would spend a good amount of time in an office, but these case files were something she thought the police should be handling. She asked Hawkeye about it when Alphonse was out with Havoc to do some information gathering.

"Ah... It's Major Hawkeye, right?" Juniper asked the blonde woman gingerly as she was still trying to memorize names.

Riza smiled warmly at the young woman. "Yes that's right. Riza Hawkeye. But you can just call me Hawkeye. We're the same rank after all, it'd probably be a little silly."

Juniper responded to her with a calm smile of her own. She knew Riza and herself would be good friends in time, especially considering they were the only two women in this office.

"I was curious about something. Why is the military dealing with all of these… seemingly petty crimes? Isn't it something the police should be more than capable of handling?"

"It's true that these cases are nothing compared to some of our other current cases. But the truth of the matter is the number of members in the police force is dwindling because of the even larger number of criminal gangs and rebels that are out there at the moment. The crimes they commit are usually too minor for the military to get involved in, yet these gangs are relentless and have no mercy on anyone who gets in their way, no matter if they are in uniform or not. A case of minor assault can quickly turn into a homicide case. It's why we are dealing with most of them now. It's just simply too dangerous for a standard officer to apprehend or control the situation. Lives end up being lost." Riza looked down at her notes blankly.

To Juniper, it made sense. She had heard of these gangs going around, doing as they pleased. It was one of the main reasons she had joined the military in the first place. She knew how dangerous it was back home in the south because of these rebels. Juniper wanted to stop them and protect what little she had left of her family. With that very thought in mind, she remembered a vital piece on information she needed to discuss with Roy and the rest of his men when the opportunity presented itself.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, in the backwash streets of South City…_

"Useless! Utterly fucking useless!" A gun was cocked then quickly released. _Bang!_

A tall muscular tattooed man lowered his sawn-off shotgun to the old chipped coffee table as smoke filtered out the tip. In front of this man who sat in the middle of a shabby old loveseat was another man, now dead on the floor in a pool of his own blood that slowly began to spread around him.

"Why is it that every time I ask for one simple thing to be done, you block heads end up cocking up the whole fucking job?!" The man's dark brown, nearly black, eyes seared with anger as he pulled a big cigar from his lips and puffed out a huge plume of smoke. A group of men that stood near the dead body all looked down, even some cowering in shame and fear. Some did not seem phased in the least.

"We won't be able to target the North anytime soon now after the huge mess Johnno made. I'm sick of targeting small towns and cities anyway. It's time we start doing some real damage. The kind we were once capable of." The man rubbed out his cigar on the coffee table without a care as he stood up from the couch he was occupying and bellowed out. "JAGGER!"

In a darkened corner, a lanky, black haired man with a deep jaggered scar running down from his left eyebrow, over his nose and to the right corner of his mouth let out an exasperated sigh. "There's no need to shout Boss."

"It's time you started pulling your weight. I want you and a few of your men in Central. Don't overdo it; just make some drama for the Military. We need them distracted while these useless pin-heads get in there and rob The Central Bank." The tall man marched over to the man called Jagger as he gestured to the group of men near the dead body.

"I received a tip from our scout that Mustang possibly has a new alchemist on his team. See if you can flush the lot of them out of their office and get rid of them all. Dead. They'll be an irritating thorn in our sides otherwise. You're the only alchemist I have that I trust enough to get it done quickly and cleanly! Now fuck off." The man turned around and went back to the large sofa.

Jagger gracefully stood without a word and waved for his men to follow him out the door.

* * *

"General... I have some personal information regarding some of the large scale gang activity that has been happening over the past few years."

Roy looked up from the paperwork he was reluctantly working on to see Juniper standing before him. He blinked, a little surprised at the unexpected approach, but sat upright in his chair and gave his full attention. "Do you? Let's hear it then."

Juniper not only had captured Roy's curiosity, but Alphonse, Riza, Havoc, Breda and Fuery were also suddenly paying attention.

"A few years ago when I was living and working at my Da's brewery in Kadayr, a sizable group of military men came through the town. They said they were from Dublith on their way to Rush Valley, and that they would be stopping at our inn for a night of rest. At first, no one thought anything of them as they appeared ordinary enough. But my Da, my brother and I thought it was odd that the Military would be travelling by foot on a longer route, rather than by the more direct route on the train." She let out a deep sigh. "The date was the January 2nd, 1918."

"Wait a minute, that's the day before the Rush Valley Pub Massacre. Are you saying that the gang we've been tracking and chasing all these years are actually _military_ rebels?" Roy said, utterly floored and irritated.

Everyone else in the room was silent with gaping jaws and quiet gasps.

"Yes Sir. It is kind of the reason I stand here today in uniform. Whether it was a portion of corrupt military personnel or a gang of military rebels, I believe this piece of information is the revelation that was needed. There's a reason they've been able to elude most attempts at being arrested, a reason they can kill so many in such a short time. These men aren't just highly trained gunmen. They have former State Alchemists with them also." A fire was burning deep within her hazel eyes as she spoke.

Alphonse spoke up. "How do you know all this? About the alchemists?"

Juniper looked at him with a lightly pained expression "I'm sorry Colonel, but today after closing the cases I had been assigned, I took the liberty of looking into the Rush Valley Pub Massacre's case file myself. I noted a few things from the report, such as witness statements and names of those that were willing to provide statements. Three people on that list were from Kadayr. A few months after the massacre, those three people were reported dead in a separate case for murder that weren't linked to the massacre. The cases had no witnesses and there was very minimal evidence, so they had been closed and more or less discarded. But people in small towns don't forget things like that. As to how I know about the alchemists, the men that stayed in our inn that night had little money on them, and had to pay for rooms and services somehow without appearing overly suspicious. Four of them gave my Da their State watches as payment, as the silverware would have been enough."

Roy placed his elbows on his desk and clasped his hands together over his mouth, deep in thought. His brow furrowed deeply with frustration. "As much as it complicates things, it's defiantly the revelation as you say, Swiftshot. Although, I do know that all State Alchemist pocket watches each have a very small registration code engraved on the inside of the craftsmanship. Very few alchemists know of the the code exists or where to find it…"

"Fox, does your father still have the pocket watches?" Riza asked.

Juniper nodded "Yes. He has them locked away tightly in one of the families' personal safes. He kept them for fear of ending up sharing the same fate as the three that were murdered if he ever got rid of them or told anyone of them."

"If we get those watches.." Breda began

"..We could have some names for these rebels." Havoc finished

"The Military keeps all of the records and files of past soldiers, I'm pretty sure." Fuery pointed out.

Roy stood up. "Swiftshot, I want you to contact your family on a non-traceable phone line when you are off duty. Organize to have the pocket watches brought to Central as inconspicuously as possible. This is now your top assignment."

"Yes Sir."

* * *

After finishing work later that afternoon, Alphonse invited Juniper to his place so she could have a chance to check out the apartments on the other side of the park from his complex. They were enjoying small talk before something started to bother him.

"Juniper, why did you never come to the military with that information after the massacre? I don't mean to seem rude for asking, but-"

She interrupted him. "My Da forbid me or Daniel from discussing anything that happened over those two days with anyone. He was afraid that it would come back on us, one way or another. He didn't want to go through loosing another member of our very small family over something that we could avoid. Joining the military was partially an excuse for getting that information to the ones that could do something about it."

He could understand this, and so he let it go. "What was the other reason you joined?"

He caught her smirk, and became increasingly curious.

"I wouldn't be completely lying if I said it was for the possibly rewarding adventure and unrestricted access to alchemic study materials. No, my Da wanted me to continue to work in the pub and inn; and to find a husband." She shrugged nonchalantly.

"What? Really?" He was surprised. The way she had spoken of her father since the time they had met, he never imagined he would be the type to expect her to marry so soon.

"Yeah, really. Even Dan tried to tell him he was nuts. He can't wrap me up in silk forever after all. I don't hold it against him though. Dan and I are all he has left. He wants us to live long, happy and safe lives. But he keeps telling me I'm much too stubborn to do that, just like Ma was he says." She looked up at the different shades of color the twilight hour in the sky above them offered.

Alphonse remembers Juniper talking about her family on the weekend. Her mother had passed away after giving birth to her, so she never knew her. He considered he was very fortunate to have known his mother, even if it was only for a very few short years.

They soon approached the block of apartments opposite from the complex Alphonse resided in. Juniper went inside to find the landlord while Alphonse went home to shower, change and wait for her. It took longer than he thought, but twenty minutes later, there was a knock at the door. He quickly went to open the door for her.

"So how did it go? I was starting to get a little worried." He said as he held the door open for her.

"You worried about me? How sweet of you, Alphonse." She teased him as she walked passed him and gave him a playful jab in the chest with her elbow. He smirked in response as he watched her sit down on the sofa, where he joined her.

"It went well. The landlord was a really sweet old lady. Her son was nice as well. They were more than happy to give me an apartment. I can move in whenever I want." Juniper held up the brass key to her knew apartment.

Alphonse smiled brightly. "That's great, Juniper. I can help you move in when you are ready, if you'd like?"

"That would be great. The timing was actually pretty convenient as well. I called my Da from the public phone on the corner down there and Dan is delivering a shipment to Central tomorrow. He will bring the rest of my belongings as well as the pocket watches." She fidgeted with excitement.

"Gee that was sure fast." He laughed. "If Mustang agrees, why don't you take the day off tomorrow?"

"Shouldn't I ask him directly though?"

Alphonse raised a brow "You do remember I can dismiss you from work for the day too, right?"

"Oh yes, that's right." She shook her head, smiling as she remembered his rank. "Thank you, it would be a great help."

Later that night after she left, Alphonse called Roy to request that Juniper have the day off tomorrow, and that he would be helping her. Roy didn't mind, as Alphonse had simply told him that she 'had completed her assigned task'. Of course Roy didn't let Alphonse hang up without being teased a bit first. It was exasperating. He went to bed, dreaming of her again. Every night, his dreams became much more vibrant. It was a petty crush. He'd get over it soon enough. At least that's what he would think.


	8. Doesn't Time Fly?

**Disclaimer:** I do not own FMA or any of the characters. They belong to Arakawa-Senpai~ I only own my OC's, my made up towns/cities/countries/other misc characters and this fanfiction.

 **Author's Note:** I want to say a huge thank you to all the new followers. It means a whole lot to me to know that although I've been absent, the story is still being enjoyed. A special mention to **banshee-hime** for the awesome review you gave me. Your words gave me more than enough inspiration to find a way to get back to writing this story. So I'm powering through with the story on my iPad! (Laptop died) I'm a bit rusty, but let's see how this goes~

 **Author's Note 2.0:** Yeah, I'm going to throw in bits of my old notes every now and then if I feel it's relevant. I welcome CONSTRUCTIVE criticism, so please review somewhat kindly. Also feel free to PM me for any questions/queries about this story, or even just to say hello :3

* * *

 **Chapter:** Doesn't Time Fly?

 **Summary:** Reunions are always pleasant...

* * *

Tuesday morning was relatively quiet for Central. The weather was warming, the skies were clear and the birds sang their sweet song, welcoming the new day. Cars and the occasional horse and carriage traveled along the roads while people strode peacefully on the sidewalk, going about their business. The smell of freshly baked bread from bakeries wafted through the air. No one could ask for a better start to the day. Alphonse hoped it would last. He was slowly getting dressed while he looked out his bedroom window, spotting Juniper in the distance on the sidewalk cross the park. She appeared to be waiting, looking down the road. Alphonse quickly shrugged on a half sleeved dark grey shirt, grabbed his keys and left the apartment.

"Good morning Alphonse. You certainly look very happy today." Juniper murmured with a smile as he approached her. She wore a light pink blouse and an olive green knee length skirt. Her hair was pulled up into an attractively messy bun. Her smile was bright, and she appeared to be just as happy as he was. He again melted when he saw her smile, which was infectious.

"Good morning. I am very happy today actually." He said as he stopped before her. His smile made her stomach flip inside her belly.

"Any particular reason why?" Her tone was playful.

He picked up on it, and played along.

"I get to help a very pretty girl move into her apartment today." He winked. Though he teased, his words sounded as if he really meant it too.

She scoffed, then started giggling, not realizing her face was heated a soft shade pink. "Flattery won't get you anywhere, Sweetness." She crooned softly, rolling her eyes with sarcasm.

Now it was Alphonse's turn to blush, and he did his best to laugh it off.

Suddenly, Juniper gasped and spun around, looking towards the corner of the street.

"My brother is here." Her eyes sparkled with excitement.

Alphonse turned to face the same direction, but he couldn't see anyone there. He waited a moment, and was about to ask Juniper when he faintly heard the rumble of a carriage, the jingle of harnesses and heavy, clattering foot falls of more than a few horses in the distance. The sound grew louder until from around the corner, six very big Shire horses pulling an even bigger wagon materialized. It was a stunning sight.

Each horse was as black as night with beautiful white feathering* around their hooves, except one, who was simply jet black all over. Their coats shimmered in the sunlight, as did their polished harnesses that was adorned with silver buckles and intricate detailing. The large carriage they pulled was a brewery wagon, painted blue and dark green with white lettering 'Fox Estate. Iraylian Brewery, Tavern & Inn. Est 1898.'

Alphonse was fascinated, and stood there staring in awe as Juniper quickly moved towards the one pure black horse at the front of the line as they came to a halt.

"Hello Nocturne. How are you, my boy?" She uttered softly, and the horse nickered in response, seemingly pleased to see his true master once again. She gave him a gentle pat before turning towards the driver of the carriage, who was now climbing down from the high seat.

The broad and buff brunette man jumped down the rest of the way with a loud thud. He turned around and his kind, warm eyes; golden-brown like bourbon, widened with happiness.

"Blue!" He called out to Juniper in a strong, deep accent as she came bounding up to him.

"Big Brother!" She leaped out to him and he caught her in his arms for a tight embrace. They chuckled as he put her back on her feet.

"It's so good to see you. You look like you're doing very well and settling into city life. Baby Bird isn't so little anymore."

 _'Blue? Baby Bird? They must be her nicknames.'_ Alphonse thought her pet names were certainly different, but charming.

"You've got yourself a boyfriend already Blue?" The man appeared a bit surprised as he murmured quietly to Juniper after noticing Alphonse close by.

"Oh no no…" She flustered for a moment. "This is my friend and commanding officer, Alphonse Elric. He generously offered to help me with the move today."

"Elric? I've heard that name somewhere before…" He pondered a moment until he remembered. "You're Edward Elric's younger brother, aren't you?"

Alphonse smiled and nodded. "That's right."

"I'm Daniel. But please call me Dan. We've actually met before. You used to be in a huge suit of armor many years back." Dan smiled and offered Alphonse a handshake. Alphonse accepted it as his brow furrowed in thought.

"You have? When was this?" Alphonse couldn't recall meeting Dan before.

"1914. I was heading to East City from New Optain after making a delivery. I came across a quiet, but moving suit of armor and a hot-headed, ranting short guy that seemed pissed about missing the last train of the day. I came along with this lot and asked if you needed a ride anywhere." He gestured to the horses that were quietly and patiently standing.

The memory came flooding back. He remembered the 6 hour ride through the night until they reached East City. He spent his time talking to Dan while Edward slept in the back of the wagon. "Oh that's right! I remember now. You really saved us from a world of trouble that time. I'm sorry I didn't recognize you."

"Ah don't fret over it. I was a young lad back then, and I didn't have this growing either." He chuckled as he ran two fingers down his braided beard, which stopped just before it touched his chest with a small silver patterned bead on the end of it. "But here, look at you. It's nice to meet you with a body and face now. When did you get it back?"

"The Promise Day." Alphonse simply said.

"Ah yes. A scary day that was too. At least for us it was. We had no idea what was happening to us." Dan nodded.

"I don't mean to interrupt the reunion, but if you two are quite done with reminiscing, could we maybe start unloading the wagon?" Juniper chimed in sweetly, and the three of them quickly got to work.

* * *

"I can't believe you managed to fit that entire load of furniture in here as well as the shipment you had to deliver." Alphonse let out a long exhausted huff as he sat on the back of the wagon with Juniper and Dan after moving all of Juniper's belongings to her apartment.

"The amount of things you can fit in here still surprises me." Juniper muttered as she looked at Dan, who was perched up on the driver's seat.

"It's a good thing I built this wagon when I did though, business is picking up even more now. Your brew in particular is very popular now by the way." He smirked.

"I _knew_ I was right about the blueberries. Tell Da I said 'I told you so'." Juniper snickered.

"He knew you'd want to tell him so." Dan chuckled as he readjusted his seating. As he did, he noticed something sitting near his feet. He reached down and picked it up. "Oh Blue, I almost forgot this."

Juniper stood up and reached for the odd shaped case, taking it from Dan. She recognized it as her violin. "Ah, thank you Big Brother."

"Compose a song for me, I want to hear something next time you come home, ya hear? You've not played for me or Da in a while." He said as he gently places his hand atop her head.

"You know I've been too busy to play, you pleb." She huffed and moved away from his child-like gesture with a soft pout.

Alphonse chuckled to himself at the sweet scene. It seemed like whenever a person was with their family, everything around them appeared peaceful, and it warmed his heart to know that Juniper experiences just as much happiness when she's with her family, as he does when he is with his.

A loud whinny came from the front of the carriage, causing Dan and Juniper to quit their light bickering.

"I think it's time to start heading back now. Your Nocturne is as impatient as ever. Take care of yourself now Blue." Dan leaned down and embraced his younger sister in a tight hug. They gently pulled away and Juniper and Alphonse hopped down from the wagon and onto the sidewalk.

"Have a safe journey back home. Tell Da I'll be home for a visit real soon." Juniper smiled, but her eyes were saddened.

"I'm pretty sure Da will make me come to Central and drag you home for a visit otherwise. It was nice seeing you again Alphonse; watch out for our little Blue for me." Dan said as he picked up the horses reins and gave them a quick whistle, signalling the group of six to move forward as one unit.

"I will" Alphonse called out to him as he drove off down the street, leaving himself and Juniper waving to Dan as he eventually disappeared. He looked down to Juniper to see if she was okay. He noticed her lovely hazel eyes were fighting back tears, though she blinked them away and let out a deep sigh.

Juniper slowly turned to Alphonse. "Well that's that then. Let's go find those pocket watches. Dan said he had hidden them in one of the smaller cases."

"Ah, Juniper?" Alphonse pointed to the violin case she had in her hands.

She looked down at it when she caught his hint, opening it slightly. There within the case accompanying the instrument, were four silver State watches. Juniper giggled softly at the irony.

"Let's get these to Mustang right away." She closed the case once again and they headed for Headquarters. Juniper decided that afterwards, she would do some shopping for a few supplies and groceries. On the way, Alphonse asked about the names Dan had called her. She giggled at the question.

"Both Dan and Da call me 'Baby Bird'. I don't know the reason why, all I know is that they've always called me it. I think it has something to do with being the youngest, I'm not entirely sure. As for 'Blue'; I was named after my Da's important ingredient in most of his brews; juniper berries. Da told me when I was born; Dan would call me Blue because it was the color of juniper berries. I guess it's just stuck after all these years."

Alphonse smiled warmly. "The names suit you…" He blurted out softly without thinking. When he did realize, he began to stutter.

"I-I mean, well… B-Blue defiantly suits; Baby Bird is n-nice too…"

Juniper couldn't help but inwardly laugh at his reaction. She knew he meant well. She lightly placed her fingers on top of his hand to get him to stop fumbling out his words.

"Alphonse, relax. You didn't offend me." She offered him a reassuring smile when he stilled at her contact. They both noticed the spark again, but ignored it as best as they could, oblivious to the fact they both most certainly could not ignore it.

* * *

"You came to play the violin?" Roy asked with a raised brow as Juniper and Alphonse walked through the doors to his office

Alphonse couldn't help himself but scoff and snicker quietly. Juniper had done the same, but she quickly cleared her throat and approached Roy's desk, placing the case upon it.

"No Sir, I just had these delivered to me not half an hour ago." She opened the case and revealed its contents. One by one, she removed each State pocket watch and placed them on the desk.

"That was certainly a quick delivery." Roy muttered as he reached for one of the watches and looked over its craftsmanship.

"My brother had a delivery to make here in Central, it's was just perfect timing." She nodded and smiled.

"Well I'm grateful, Swiftshot. You continue to impress me. Keep up the good work." He nodded at her, and she returned it.

Roy began scribbling an address on a small piece of paper. "Major Hawkeye, I want you to go to this address and escort the proprietor back here. Advise him that it is of great importance to our current case, and that his cooperation would be appreciated." He said firmly as he handed her the paper.

"Yes Sir." She briefly looked at it then promptly left the office.

"The man is the only one who has crafted every single State Alchemist pocket watch within the past sixty or so years. He has done this job anonymously at his own request, and has some sort of memory for every watch he has made. He will undoubtedly know who these once belonged to. It's annoying that he's the only one who can find the damn codes on them too." Roy explained, with a minor grumble at the end.

"You don't get along with him do you?" Alphonse muttered in an exasperated tone with the look to match it crossing his face.

Roy swiveled around in his chair to face the window, stubbornly folding his arms over his chest and refusing to answer. Alphonse shook his head. _'It's hard to believe you're an adult sometimes. You and Ed are so much alike it's freaky.'_ He thought to himself, moving to join Juniper who had sat down on a sofa in the office as they waited for Riza to return.

* * *

A short while later, Riza returned with an elderly hobbled man clinging to her arm as she escorted him in. He tapped his walking cane around in front of him as he felt his way into the room. Everyone in the room besides Roy was surprised to find out that the man was blind. The man let go of Riza and proceeded further into the office. He was hobbling his way towards Alphonse and Juniper. They both stood, ready to redirect him, but he stopped in his tracks right before Alphonse.

"Pocket watch." The old man wheezed out hoarsely as he held out his hand.

Alphonse was surprised, but quickly pulled it out from his pant pocket and handed him the watch. He watched as the old man run his shaky wrinkled hands over its surface.

"Heh… Rapidblade. I've always wanted to meet you young man. You're that Fullmetal pipsqueak's younger brother ain't ya?" The man chuckled softly as he reached up and patted Alphonse on the shoulder and handed back the watch. He was a little bewildered, but smiled. He heard Juniper snickered softly beside him, which caught the old man's attention.

He held his hand out to Juniper, and she quickly handed him her own watch. His face brightened with a rare bright smile.

"Ohh.. What a pleasure Swiftshot. You have no idea how happy I was to hear my most recent work was going to a talented young lady." He murmured as he returned the watch to its owner. She was about to speak when the sound of Mustang clearing his throat interrupted her.

"I'm coming Mustang, keep your damn trousers on." The man grumbled under his breath as his cane tapped its way to Mustang's desk.

"Let's make this quick." Roy said firmly as he slid the four pocket watches across his desk towards the man, who then picked up the first one and inspected it thoroughly with his skilled hands.

"This one… belonged to Shadowfrost…" He placed it back down and picked up the next watch. "…and this next one belonged to Ironforce."

"And the last two…Hmm… Crimson Blade and… Typhoon." The man placed the watches back on the desk in front of Mustang, who's face had paled slightly.

"Crimson Blade and Typhoon? Are you sure?" Mustang asked firmly, gritting his teeth.

A cane swung in the air as quick as lighting, narrowly missing Mustang who flinched away from it. "You drag an old blind man out of his home just to question his life's work? I'm going home." He grumbled as he shuffled to the door, followed by Riza who was to return him to his shop.

Roy turned to Alphonse and Juniper. "Thank you two for coming in today. I need to… do some investigating. You're dismissed now. I'll see you both tomorrow." He said in a clipped tone before he started barking orders at the soldiers still on duty.

Alphonse and Juniper nodded and left without another word. They didn't speak until they had completely left Central Command. Juniper was the first to break the silence.

"Is that normal for General Mustang?" She asked softly, looking at Alphonse with concern, who was deep in thought about the same thing Juniper was questioning.

"If I know Roy as well as I think, I know that his reaction to the names was not exactly great news for the case. I know he's glad we're finally getting somewhere with this, but I don't think those were the names he was expecting to hear. I'm sure he will explain more to us when he finds out more himself. It's obviously far before my time as a State Alchemist, as I've never heard of any of those alchemists before." He paused and turned to look at her. She was clearly as concerned as he was, as her brow was furrowed with worry.

"At least we've taken a big step forward in finding out who may be responsible for all the bad events lately." He offered her his bright, reassuring smile.

His smile had melted her on the inside. His optimism was infectious, and all her concerns dissipated almost instantly. She was glad he had the kind of effect on her, as it stopped her from letting her mind dwell.

* * *

Alphonse spent the rest of the day accompanying and helping Juniper with her groceries and supplies she needed for her new home. It's was a pleasant way to spend the rest of the day, relaxing in its own way. They talked about whatever thing came up, effectively learning even more about each other. As the evening started to settle in, they bid each other goodnight and Alphonse headed home.

He idly wondered if he'd ever find the time to fit in some solo studying, and the thought was surprisingly displeasing to him.

 _'I'd rather spend my time studying with her…'_


	9. When The Past Creeps In

**Disclaimer:** I do not own FMA or any of the characters. They belong to Arakawa-Senpai~ I only own my OC's, my made up towns/cities/countries/other misc characters and this fanfiction.

 **Author's Note:** Again, thank you to **banshee-hime** for you lovely review ^-^ I welcome CONSTRUCTIVE criticism, so please review somewhat kindly. Also feel free to PM me for any questions/queries about this story, or even just to say hello :3

* * *

 **Chapter:** When The Past Creeps In

 **Summary:** There are some things she'd rather forget all about...

* * *

Soft colors of pinks, purples and pale grey filled the sky in the early hours of the morning. Stars that were still visible in the dark sky twinkled softly, staring down at Amestris as the country began to slowly wake to the new day. One soul in particular was already strolling down the road toward Central Command.

Alphonse had woken up early and decided to leave for work a lot sooner to delve into something that had been troubling his mind. One thing in particular, was Roy's odd behavior yesterday after the old man had identified the pocket watches. He knew Roy well enough to know that the man would not appear so troubled about an issue unless it was immensely serious or even dangerous. Alphonse also knew that although he was a Colonel State Alchemist, the General would not give up whatever he knew so easily for fear of Alphonse doing just what an Elric would usually do; investigate in depth on his own accord.

Alphonse figured he'd start his investigation as inconspicuously as he could manage by going to the library first. If anyone from Roy's team was sent looking for him, his excuse would be that he was 'studying'. Thankfully for him, the library was open early most days of the week.

He headed straight for the newspaper archives and searched the rows. But to his dismay, they were organized by date and not alphabetically. He let out an exasperated sigh and ran a hand through his golden locks, his brow furrowing with frustration. Then it came to him. He knew someone who could very well help him with this dilemma, someone who was always there in the library when they weren't working. He quickly walked to the back rows of the library isles and looked down each one until he spotted just the person he was looking for.

"Good morning Sheska." He said with a friendly smile.

"Eeep!" The mousy brunette jolted and almost dropped her handful of books from the sudden surprise.

"Oh, I'm sorry about that. I didn't mean to give you a fright." Alphonse chuckled softly as he came to a stop before her.

"G-Good morning Alphonse. Yes, that's twice you've startled me now. You're so quiet when you approach." She said with a rush of breathe as she adjusted her glasses, her heart rate beginning to settle.

"Yeah, training with Xingese warriors certainly has its advantages I guess. Anyway, I was wondering if you could help me with something. I'm trying to see if there are any newspaper articles that involve any of these State Alchemists." Alphonse had pulled his journal from his uniform, opened it up to a page in particular and passed it to Sheska.

She looked over it and stared off into the distance as she thought. "Hmmm… Yes I think I have seen one or two articles with these names." She said as she handed back his journal then placed the rest of the books she was holding back on the shelf. She then lead Alphonse back to the newspaper archives and began the search.

"Here's one of them." She reached up to grab the book that would contain the entire newspaper from a particular date. After a short search, she quickly found the other and handed him both books.

"Thank you. You've been a great help." Alphonse nodded with appreciation.

"You're welcome Al. I'll see you later." Sheska said and headed back to the section she was previously in.

"Oh and Sheska-!" Alphonse called out to her as loudly as he was permitted to.

"Yes I know. You were here studying. Nothing more, nothing less. As usual." She said, waving her hand at him before turning the corner. This wasn't the first time Alphonse had done his own investigating and needed her help.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Juniper, who was also up quite early, closed her apartment door and locked it behind her. She tucked her keys into her pocket, adjusted the drawstring of her bow that rested across her torso and headed out of the complex at a brisk walk. It had been a few days since she had any time to shoot, and she had the 'trigger itch', but what would you call that for an archer? In any case, she rarely went a day without getting in some practice.

A short walk to Central Command, and she headed straight for the shooting range. She was unsure if her weapon of choice was even allowed in the place. As she walked into the gear and locker rooms, she noted that it was empty. For this she was pleased, and headed straight out to the shooting range.

As she walked along the long sheltered pathway, she looked around at the facilities. She imagined this place would be bustling with soldiers during the day. The thought made her wonder if she would be laughed at for taking to the bow rather than a gun. She shrugged off her thoughts and removed the bow from her back. She had only brought a few arrows with her, as the rest of them were safely stored at home or in the office weaponry cabinets. Settling on a spot for target practice, she got straight to it. She was so absorbed with her practice that she didn't even notice Riza enter the range a short time later.

"Good morning Juniper." The woman said softly, so as not to startle her.

"Oh Hawkeye, good morning to you as well. How are you?" Juniper said as she lowered her bow.

"I'm well, thank you. You can call me Riza when we're not on duty if you'd like." She said with a rare smile. Though they hadn't had much time to get to know each other better yet, Riza had taken a liking to the young woman. In some way, Juniper reminded her of herself when she was young, before the war in Ishval.

"Riza…" Juniper corrected herself with a nod and a smile. "Have you come to get some practice in also?"

Riza shook her head. "No. Actually, I was about to head into the office when I saw you heading towards the range. I hope you didn't mind the audience for that short time." Riza said and saw Juniper shake her head before continuing. "I had only heard of your weapon choice and was curious. You've got impressive accuracy; I'd certainly rely on you to have my back one day."

"Thank you, and likewise. I've heard you're quite the deadly shot yourself."

"Mm… Some days I wish I wasn't known to be 'deadly." Her mahogany brown eyes shifted towards the targets on the range.

After a short moment of peaceful silence, Juniper spoke softly.

"I won't say I that can understand how you feel, because I have no way of knowing what it feels like to have killed someone. But in its own bizarre way… I can understand why you have that desire."

Riza softly hummed with amusement. "You can tell I don't like sympathy, can't you?"

Juniper turned and smiled at Riza, who returned it with a kind one of her own. The warmth of the moment seemed to reflect itself in the nature around them, as the bright spring sun started to lighten the pale sky, warming everything its sunlight touched and stirring the birds from their nests.

"Juniper, if you ever need help or even a just friend to talk to, I'll be here for you. We're just two women in a man's world after all." She said with humor, making Juniper giggle softly.

* * *

Dark obsidian eyes stared blankly out of the office window as one by one, each person of Roy's team arrived, the last being Juniper and Riza.

Alphonse was lucky to not be questioned on his early morning whereabouts, but what he did find in his research had only made him want to find out more. It was time for Mustang to spill the beans.

"General." Alphonse said as he stood in front of Roy's desk.

The man turned around in his chair to face him and spoke in an exasperated tone. "What is it Elric?"

Alphonse undoubtedly noticed the dark sleepless circles under his eyes and the blank, but somewhat frustrated expression on Roy's face. "Yesterday, when we received the names of the alchemists who once owned those pocket watches…" Alphonse paused and lowered his voice a bit, hoping that only Riza and Juniper were the only ones that may be within earshot. "…I couldn't help but notice that you appeared a bit distressed at the names mentioned."

"Suppose I should come clean about what I know before you go doing your own digging around for the information, eh?" Roy rubbed the palms of his hands over his face before standing up from his chair. "Everyone stop what you're doing and listen up."

Alphonse could tell he was forcing himself to do this. He stepped back and leaned against the arm of the sofa nearby and folded his arms across his chest. Everyone else in the office had stopped to listen to the General.

"As you all are aware, yesterday we had four pocket watches previously belonging to State Alchemists inspected and identified. These alchemists were Samuel McDougal the Shadowfrost Alchemist, Lenard Grey the Ironforce Alchemist, Brian 'Jagger' Wilson the Crimson Blade Alchemist and Ray Collins the Typhoon Alchemist. Those of you that have been serving the military for nearly as long as I would have heard of these names before, if not, you've probably read about them. Shadowfrost was, in my opinion, a coward alchemist. He liked hiding in the dark, always sneaky and undetectable until it was too late for his victims. It probably doesn't surprise you that he used ice in his transmutations; much like his cousin Isaac McDougal. Now Ironforce, like a lot of the military's alchemists, liked to transmute different metals for his attacks. But it was the amount of energy he forced into these transmutations that made him deadly. These two men were reported missing and later declared dead in 1915" Roy paused to let the information sink in before continuing.

"I'm sure you remember either seeing and or hearing about Solf J. Kimblee before? Well, Crimson Blade was one of the sick bastards that looked up to that man and agreed with his views on everything that was cruel and sinister to the human race. In fact a lot of people began to think the two were related, but this is not the case. He was sent to prison a year after the Ishval war had ended for a killing spree that resulted in the murder of 13 civilians and 9 fellow soldiers in South City." Roy said with a look of disgust.

"Why was he called Crimson Blade?" Fuery asked.

Riza chimed in to answer, her tone of voice dejected from the memory of witnessing such an event. "Because he would only ever transmute anything he could get his hands on into sharp projectile blades… and every single blade he sent forward would always end up painted with blood or buried within your flesh, one way or another."

In the corner of the room, Havoc and Breda cringed and shuddered, thinking that this guy sounded as bad as Kimblee and Barry the Chopper rolled into one person.

"And the Typhoon Alchemist?" Juniper queried.

Roy sat back down on his chair and stared blankly at his desk. "He was the worst of them. Ray Collins was a Colonel and commanding officer of the other three. He was so power hungry that he took violent methods to gaining his promotions when it was a corrupt military. He used his water based alchemy to drown whoever it was he was after, as well as the many unfortunate victims that got in the way of it. Not only would he drown people, but he could turn any pond or river into poison that resembled water, killing anyone who got in contact with it. He could just as easily turn the sweat on your brow to a skin searing acid, all at a simple touch that you wouldn't even know about until your flesh was melting away from your bones."

Juniper felt sick to her stomach. If these alchemists were the same men that spent the night at her families inn a day before murdering many innocent people, then she had no doubt that they could very well still be alive, planning another massacre.

"Fox, yesterday didn't you say that you had uniformed military officers stay at your inn in Kadayr the day before the Rush Valley Pub Massacre?" Havoc asked from across the room.

Juniper nodded "Yes I…" She paused, thinking. She stared down at her desk for a moment then looked up at Mustang. "I think I may be able to identify the men if they have photographs. It's been a few years, but I have never been able to forget their faces."

"Elric, head over to the investigations department and get Sheska to find the files on each of these men. Don't answer any questions from anyone whatsoever. That's an order." Roy commanded and Alphonse nodded then promptly left the room.

"I assume you've come to the same conclusion as I have then Swiftshot?" Roy said as he turned to stare out the window, looking down at all the oblivious innocent lives that wondered the streets below.

"These men may very well be leaders or even a part of the group the military have been after these past few years." She replied and saw him nod. She could tell from the distant yet determined look in the man's eye that no matter what it took, these alchemists would be brought to justice.

* * *

The sound of thunder loomed in the near distance as Alphonse lay in bed, staring out his window at the blackened night sky. He had been tossing and turning, unable to find sleep. The events from earlier repeated over and over in his mind…

 _"Make sure you're 100% clear on identifying the men, Fox. If we make a mistake from here, it could cause more trouble than it's worth." Roy muttered as he slid the four manila files towards her on his desk. Juniper was sitting opposite him with Alphonse and Riza nearby, the others listening in from their own desks._

 _She picked up the first file and opened it. Inside were various documents and certificates of identification, as well as a mass of records concerning the person. Upon opening it, the thing that caught her attention immediately was a photograph held by a paperclip, of a rogue looking man with ice blue eyes and dull brown hair. She recognized him instantly._

 _"Yes, I definitely saw this man." She said as she passed Alphonse the file, who was documenting the information she provided as well as key notes from the files on a notepad. Juniper took the next file and again made a positive identification for a rather robust looking man with brown eyes and hair._

 _"So that's Shadowfrost and Ironforce." Alphonse said to Mustang as he jotted down the names._

 _As she picked up the third file, her hands starting to tremble slightly. She opened the file and quickly snapped it shut, almost tossing it at Alphonse who then gave her a confused look. Her sudden change in behavior didn't go unnoticed by the others either._

 _"Yes, that one as well." She spat harshly, picking up the next file quickly and opening it. She resettled somewhat as she identified the last file, belonging to Typhoon, as another she had seen that night, though the tense emotion emitting from her was still present. It had even Roy concerned._

 _"Thank you Swiftshot. Thanks to you we now may have some names and faces to put to the crimes in the south. I'm going to dismiss you for the rest of the day." He said. Although she was now a soldier, she was an innocent civilian at the time of these events, and it clearly caused her grief. He could not afford to have the newest and youngest member of his team affected by poor morale, so he gave her what he thought was necessary. Juniper had left quickly before Alphonse even had a chance to talk to her._

Alphonse had gone to Juniper's apartment after leaving the office for the day to see how she was, but before he even knocked on her door, he came to the conclusion that she would tell him about it when and if she was ready. He certainly wasn't going to push her on the issue, it just wasn't his way. It didn't stop him from worrying about her though.

As the coming storm approached, he listened to it soundly as his mind continued to whir with thoughts of Juniper and what could have happened on that night in Kadayr. The soft tapping of rain drops pelting against the glass of his window and louder, rumbling thunder started to lull him to sleep lightly. Each sound was even and rhythmic, no louder nor quieter than the last.

But there was one thunder clap that was louder than the others, sounding more like an explosion than thunder, and it made Alphonse leap out of bed and begin to dress almost instinctively. He dressed quickly and ran to the phone as he shrugged on his grey trench coat. He dialed one digit and was instantly connected to Mustang's residence. He heard the phones pick up and quickly spoke.

"Roy, did you hear it?" He breathed out hoarsely.

"Yes, it sounded and looks like it came from the Central Bank." Mustang responded gruffly as he looked out his apartment window, seeing the large pillar of smoke that rose into the wet night sky. Below it, he could see the shimmer of orange, indicating a fire. "I'll call Hawkeye and Havoc, you call Fuery and Breda, then go fetch Swiftshot. Meet me down there as fast as you can." Then the line went dead.

Alphonse made the quick call to the two men then bolted out the door. Once he was outside, he was drenched in the downpour as he quickly ran across the park to Juniper's apartment complex. He bounded up the stairs and once he reached her door, began knocking urgently and calling to her. He waited… and waited, but no answer. He couldn't afford to wait any longer, so uncharacteristically, and with brute force, he kicked the door in. Amazingly, it stayed on its hinges. He did a quick sweep of her apartment only to find that she wasn't even there. Her bed was disheveled, and her bow was missing from it's stand, so he figured she had already left. Upon leaving, as quick as he broke the door, he mended it with alchemy then left hastily.

It didn't take long for Alphonse to reach the Central Bank, joining Mustang's team and other enlisted soldiers that all were fixated on what was happening before them. Most of them had guns drawn and pointed at the bank doors, ready for whoever was going to try to escape.

"We have the whole building surrounded, and there are two security guards confirmed dead so far. We have no way of knowing how many others there are inside." A shirtless, but ready to fight Colonel Armstrong said to Mustang, who merely nodded. He was not going to let these criminals get away without a fight.

"Elric, where's Swiftshot?" Roy snapped as he looked around for his youngest subordinate.

"She wasn't at home Sir. I searched her apartment but there was no sign of her. I had assumed she had heard the explosion and was already on her way here." Alphonse said between breathes. The fact that no one had seen Juniper since earlier in the day caused anxiety to twist sharply in his chest.

Just then, the double doors of the bank burst open. Black silhouettes of three men began to take shape and emerge from the burning building. Riza raised her hand, signalling to the other gun toting soldiers to hold their fire for the time being.

The rains downpour began to increase and the thunder that had been rumbling was soon accompanied by bright lightning, illuminating the faces of the three men. Alphonse heard Roy grunt loudly with hatred, and he knew why.

Three alchemists; Shadowfrost, Ironforce and Crimson Blade


	10. Darkness

**Disclaimer:** I do not own FMA or any of the characters. They belong to Arakawa-Senpai~ I only own my OC's, my made up towns/cities/countries/other misc characters and this fanfiction.

 **Author's Note:** **Trigger Warning:** Now, although this chapter doesn't contain very much of it, there is soft violence/gore (FMA standard), and _suggestion_ of past (heavily) unwanted but consented sex (I guess it's not quite rape, but I just want to note that I would never actually write any rape scenario!) so just in case that isn't your thing, the warning is written here, black and white. I should also mention that it gets a bit dark in this chapter, but I've not forgotten the fluff n/n; _*is an absolute hopeless and incurable romantic*_

Oh, and I apologize in advance for Alphonse's mouth (Nowhere near as bad as his brother) and the bad guys :D

I welcome CONSTRUCTIVE criticism, so please review somewhat kindly. Also feel free to PM me for any questions/queries about this story, or even just to say hello :3

* * *

 **Chapter:** Darkness

 **Summary:** Our impulses can sometimes be our greatest downfall...

* * *

The cold rain showed no signs of letting up anytime soon as the thunder continuously rumbled in the skies above. Each flash of lightning illuminated the three figures that stood menacingly in front of the doors of the burning bank as smoke billowed from its rooftop.

"We know you're identities, don't think you're going to be getting away tonight!" Mustang sneered as he shouted above the rain.

The three criminals chuckled as if he had just told them a bad joke. Jagger slipped his hands into his pockets casually before speaking in a somewhat soft yet confidant tone. "Does it look like we were trying to hide who we are, Mustang?"

Their arrogance pissed him off, but before he could respond, he heard Alphonse making a point out to him. "General, they're not carrying any bags or loot. It looks like they've taken nothing at all."

Roy noticed this and was somewhat confused. His brow furrowed further. "There is only one reason why a bunch of idiots like yourselves would break into the Central bank, so why haven't you taken anything?"

"Is that your assumption? Well you're certainly stupider than you look." Ironforce spat his words from Jagger's left flank.

"We've had our men robbing this place for hours now. Underground. Right under your oblivious, little noses. We merely waited for this storm to come so we could make our escape." Shadowfrost muttered humorously from his right.

"We'll even show you the tunnel before we go if you like!" The Crimson Blade alchemist let out an amused snort, the semi-polite façade he had been using amused him thoroughly.

"You won't be leaving this place unless you're in cuffs or a body bag." Mustang growled as he was beginning to grow impatient.

"Right well I guess we'll all just stand here chatting in the rain until the place burns to the ground and you can watch me piss on the ashes instead then? It's not like you could stop us Mustang. It's raining and you're useless as ever." His harsh words sliced through the rain.

Alphonse heard a low growl emit from Roy, the man looking like he was struggling to hold his temper in check after the snide comment. But then, so was Alphonse. Just knowing that these three men were highly likely to have been involved in the Rush Valley Pub Massacre incident, possibly responsible for so much senseless killing had him clenching his jaw and glaring at these men. But he was reasonably good at keeping his emotions in check when it really mattered. Though the same couldn't be said for how he was feeling about Juniper's unknown whereabouts.

Roy, Alphonse and those who shared an office with them knew that after what they had learned of these men, they were three incredibly dangerous former state alchemists. Handling one alone would be easier, but three in a city of this size? Getting any civilians moved in the middle of the night in such weather just simply was going to be impossible at this stage. Not Even Roy or Alphonse could think of a quick plan in that moment, and time was beginning to run itself thin.

With a sudden shift in the current weather, a large gust of forceful wind along with the howling sound it produced came rushing over their heads from all directions, heading straight towards the burning building. It had occurred so suddenly that it had unsettled some of the soldiers and even the criminals somewhat. Then another, repeating the same as the last, rolled in, followed by another and another until a pattern formed. More of the men began looking about with worry, some looking to their superiors for guidance, others trying to stand their ground as they had been. Hawkeye and Havoc began barking orders for the soldiers to remain calm.

Alphonse's brow furrowed as he tried to work out what was causing the odd weather while the wind whipped his wet, darkened hair over his citrine eyes, the rain lashing harshly against his skin. The hope that it wasn't signifying the arrival of The Typhoon Alchemist was present in Mustang's team. Alphonse looked at Roy, who still had his cold, hard obsidian gaze fixed on the criminals. It was becoming harder for him to see the three men now as the fire, which had been giving them clear silhouettes of their figures, began to flicker and darken from the harsh wind and rain. If the fire was subdued, both parties would have somewhat difficulty in seeing in the darkness of the night. It also meant the criminals might attempt to escape while the going was good.

Apparently, they had this in mind, and were looking about for an outing. They spotted a dark alleyway just beyond a group of startled soldiers and swiftly turned and to run for it.

As they ran, Roy and Alphonse where about to give chase when a sharp whipping sound shot through the air from many angles. The three criminals stopped momentarily, looking from where the incoming danger was to avoid it only for Shadowfrost and Ironforce to be sent flying backwards, slamming against the concrete wall of the building behind them. They grunted and cried out in pain, and as Roy and Alphonse got a little closer, they could see that their hands had become impaled and pinned into wall behind them… by arrows.

Alphonse immediately started looking around for the person he knew was responsible for this, but movement from the dark alleyway caught his eye as a figure surged forward, dashing straight for Jagger, who had remain unharmed thus far. Though that was to be short-lived when the mysterious figure surged towards him. Juniper, now out of the darkness, slammed the hardened wood of her bow against his throat with one hand, forcing him back against the wall, now pinned. Her other hand came up fast and firmly pressed a reasonably sharp dagger looking arrowhead against his jugular. She was soaked from head to toe, bare foot and still clad in her sleepwear; black mini shorts and a dark grey tank shirt. Her long brown hair, which was usually flowing, was now wet and clung to the back of her body as her eyes seared with much anger and loathing for the man she held captive.

Alphonse and Roy were only a few feet away from them now, standing stunned at her sudden appearance. Alphonse could feel the strong, raw emotions emitting from Juniper now thanks to his Xingese training of understanding chi energy, and it was such a strong feeling of anger that he'd only seen in Edward before. She wanted to kill him as unpleasantly as she could. Juniper was suffering, that much was clear to him. The situation at hand was becoming dire.

Alphonse was about to move when Roy's arm was held out in front of him, earning him a confused glare from the young Elric. "No. His hands are still free. If we move now it may still put her in danger, and the use of alchemy would be too obvious at this point."

Alphonse nodded stiffly as his rational sense came back to him. He didn't like it, but he wasn't prepared to let anyone come to harm.

 _'Oh Juniper… Damn it!'_

Jagger had yet to respond to the sudden change of circumstance, but when he did, it was not what anyone could have predicted.

His steel grey eyes hooded over and darkened as a slow smirk began to creep upon his lips. He exhaled slowly, as if relaxing.

"Aaahh _Juju_ … So you hunted me down because you wanted more fun from me, huh? All you had to do was come with us to Rush Valley that morning _baby_. You could have been _getting it_ all this time." Jagger remarked smugly, with purr of seduction on his voice as he peered down at Juniper whose gaze had only darkened with anger.

"She probably came to tell you that you knocked her up and she had your kid." Ironforce huffed with amusement despite the pain in his hands from the arrows that pinned him currently.

A sadistic chuckle came from Shadowfrost. "That's what you get for fucking a 17 year old virgin, Jagger. Maybe she wants another." The two laughed as Jagger's gaze held Juniper's burning one.

It was now both Alphonse _and_ Roy that needed to be held back as they surged forward in anger, managing to be held back by Riza's firm grip just in time. She had re-joined her superiors just in time to hear what was said, and also expressed a dangerous fury in her darkened brown eyes.

Jagger saw this motion from the military over Juniper's shoulder, and it gave him the advantage.

"Perhaps you're right." He said to the two before leaning in a little closer to Juniper, slowly so he wouldn't startle her yet. He spoke loud enough for Alphonse, Roy and Riza to hear. "Or perhaps you just miss making all those erotic noises for me? Oh don't look at me like that _Juju_... Mmmff... You know what that hard glare of your does to me."

Juniper snarled. She was so close to cleaving his arteries right from his neck, pressing the blade of the arrowhead a little harder against his throat causing a stream of blood to lightly trickle across its surface and onto her hand, mixing with rainwater. She was so focused on this that she didn't notice his hands begin to move from his sides to her rear. While his hands lingered mid-air above her body, he muttered out softly "You loved every minute of it." His hands then coming down to grip firmly at her rear while he eyed the military behind her in a smug fashion.

The contact caused Juniper's body to visibly stiffen, and she froze completely. Her eyes quickly turned from rage to fear. Her body began to tremble softly as his hands fondled her roughly, the motion sending flashbacks of that horrible night flashing through her mind. Her mouth ran dry and her throat felt like it was closing in on her, feeling as though it might chock the life from her as her stomach threatened to cause her to vomit. She was disgusted in herself that night, and many nights after it, all because she had allowed this man to do it. He had given her little options not to do so. Her mind reminded her how pathetic she really was.

 _'Why did I let that happen. I am disgusting… pathetic… filth… I am nothing…'_ She mentally reminded herself.

In her moment of lost weakness, her hands had slackened their hold on her bow and arrow, and Jagger took the chance he had been working at gaining. His hands, lighting fast, moved quickly to grab both of the weapons held against him and pushed them towards her. The motion had caused the blade to rip along the side of his throat, creating a larger gash. Before Juniper stumbled backwards however, Jagger reached out and grabbed her shoulder. He forcibly spun her body around so that her back was against his chest, becoming his shield from the military. He threw the bow across the ground, the wood clanking against the hard ground as it tumbled to stop at Roy's feet. He brought the arrow he still held up to Juniper's neck, effectively halting any movements from the soldiers. Jagger wasn't stupid though, he knew that snipers would be around and getting into position, and he needed to make his break soon. He didn't care about the other two that had remained trapped, only himself.

As he stood there holding Juniper against his body for the protection of himself, he noticed just how vexed the blonde Colonel appeared, and he clued in. He deviated the perfect plan for his escape.

He leaned down and muttered loudly against Juniper's cheek. "My… You've certainly filled out with age _Juju_ , your body has amazing curves and… features now." His hand that held her shoulder now snaked its way over her collarbone and to her breast which he grabbed hard, causing her to wince in pain. Though it was raining, tears began to form and flow from her lost, hazel eyes that now appeared to have no spark of willpower in them at all.

It was taking every ounce of energy Alphonse had to restrain himself. He had not been so enraged in a long time. His golden eyes wanting to burn holes in Jagger for even touching Juniper, let alone everything he was doing to her now. It was when he heard the sound of pain fall from Juniper's lips that he had had enough.

"Get your hands off her.." He spoke darkly, his tone barely audible over the pouring rain.

"Hmm? Did you say something kid?" Jagger replied, smirking with mirth as he began to slide his hand down the front of her shirt to her bare chest, her whimper, soft and pleading for this to stop reached Alphonse's ears.

"I said **get your fucking hands** ** _off her_** **!** " He shouted above the rain in rage. Alphonse hated senseless killing, but he had never been so close to throwing that morale he held right out the window in this instance.

His reaction pleased Jagger. "Hmph… you want her? Even after I fucked her senseless to the point she is rendered like this at my touch?"

Alphonse gritted his teeth and snarled with hostility.

"Very well. **Have her!** " Jagger shouted as he thrust Juniper's almost motionless body towards Alphonse, but in the process, ran the blade of the arrow across her throat before turning and making a dash for the darkness of the alleyway to make his escape.

" **Juniper!** " Alphonse, Roy and Riza cried out as everything they witnessed seemed to slow time. The garbled sound of her painful cry struck Alphonse hard. She stumbled a few steps before finally collapsing to the pavement, but not before he had rushed out in time to catch her upper body, preventing it from hitting the hard, wet ground.

Her skin was cold from the rain and lack of clothing, but her blood was burning up with an oncoming fever. Alphonse quickly pressed his hand against her slit throat to stop the bleeding, but it became apparent that his effort was fruitless. She was going to bleed out if she didn't get help soon.

To Alphonse, everything around him became blurred as he focused on Juniper. He could hear Roy barking orders angrily, and a large amount of footfalls of soldiers passing him to chase Jagger while a few remained to apprehend the two that Juniper had trapped against the wall. He ignored everything around him and focused on Juniper's eyes as they slowly fought to stay open, even Riza, who was now trying to help him with her.

"Alphonse! We need to get her to the hospital now. We've got almost no time left. Come on!" She cried above the rain as she tried to help him stand with Juniper now in his arms. She grabbed his sleeve and directed him to one of the military cars that were parked up at the bank before letting go to open the door for him. Alphonse felt like he subconsciously climbed into the back of the vehicle while still holding on to Juniper's fading body.

"Shit! Juniper? Keep your eyes open. Don't you dare close them. Look at me!" He murmured to her as he gently shook her body, trying to stop her from slipping into unconsciousness.

Her hazel eyes, hooded and lifeless, looked up into his golden ones that was a storm of pain and worry. They began to drift close, only to weakly open when he shook her body and called her name again. She couldn't feel her body anymore, nothing but the slit in her throat and the pain in her heart. Juniper felt like this was what she deserved for letting rage control her actions. She should have known her impulsive actions would have led her on this path. What really tore at her was that it all happened in front of him.

 _'Alphonse… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry… Alphonse... please forgive me..'_ She wanted to say, but the words struggled to come.

"Al-..phonse…" she croaked softly, her voice cracking from the emotion before she coughed lightly, the blood that had pooled at the back of her throat splattered a few droplets from her mouth to land on her lips and cheek. She felt his hand come up and gently rub his thumb over her bottom lip, trying to clear the blood as he tried to sooth her with a hushed, comforting voice.

"Sshh… Don't speak... Please." He knew she wanted to apologize, but he wasn't having any of it.

Being as gentle as he could manage in the back of the moving car as Riza drove in urgent haste, he lifted Juniper up closer to his chest, clinging to her to try and warm her cold body with his own. He watched as her eyes began to close once more, and he tried to shake her.

She didn't move.

She didn't make a noise.

She didn't open her eyes.

Alphonse lowered his head to rest his forehead against hers. Hot tears that he couldn't contain began to stream down his cheeks and land on her own, sobbing quietly as he held onto the hope that she was simply sleeping. Unbeknownst to him, a soft glow began to emit from his palm that was still pressed against her neck.

He had never met anyone that could make him feel as happy and alive as she had whenever they were together, and although they were nothing more than friends and colleagues, to him she was so much more. He felt like she was the light that his soul needed, what he was missing. His realization, though he knew it deep within himself from the beginning, crashed onto him in a flood of incomprehensible emotion.

His heart was breaking at the very thought of losing her now when he had only just found her. His tears continued to flow as he stared down at her lifeless, beautiful face.

 _'Juniper… you can't go now. I just found you. My life won't be as bright without you in it... Just don't go... I... I..._

 _'…..I love you'_

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Jeez I hate this chapter so much, writing it was hell and I'm still not happy with it even after the redo I did to it -_-

Anyway, I did this for a reason! Dramatic plot thickening commences! I'm trying to stick to the spirit of FMA's classic plot twists. I will try not to over do it of course. Don't hate me, just bear with me and read the next chapter! :D


	11. Friends, Family & Feelings

**Disclaimer:** I do not own FMA or any of the characters. They belong to Arakawa-Senpai~ I only own my OC's, my made up towns/cities/countries/other misc characters and this fanfiction.

 **Author's Note:** I welcome CONSTRUCTIVE criticism, so please review somewhat kindly. Also feel free to PM me for any questions/queries about this story, or even just to say hello :3

* * *

 **Chapter:** Friends, Family  & Feelings

 **Summary:** In the hardest of times, it's our loved ones that pull through for us when we need it most.

* * *

Alphonse sat quietly as he stared down at the wooden floorboards of the hospital, his elbows resting on his knees as he leans forward, hanging his head and feeling the empty numbness inside. He couldn't even feel the pain in his heart anymore, but he knew it was there. Sitting with his thoughts in the darkened forgotten alcove of a short corridor, a place he had been once before many years ago when he was with Edward. The mirror he had cracked with the force of his armored body still there on the wall in front of him. He felt the same way that mirror looked. Cracked and broken. He didn't move, or even notice when he felt a gentle hand placed upon his shoulder.

Riza sat beside the young Elric, offering what little comfort she could. When they arrived at the hospital a few hours ago, it had taken all her strength to pull Alphonse away with her so that Juniper could be taken care of by the doctors and surgeons. As she sat there in the lengthy silence with him, she wondered just how deeply he cared for Juniper, though she decided that asking would be inappropriate at this time. She stood slowly as Roy's silhouette appeared at the end of the hallway, against the soft light of the breaking dawn that seeped in through a nearby window. As she approached him, she could see the distant look in his dark, tired eyes.

Roy looked over to where Alphonse was slumped over before turning his gaze back to Riza. He closed his eyes and shook his head slowly as he spoke in a hushed tone. "Jagger ended up getting away, but the other two are in custody. As for Juniper... well, I just spoke to Dr Knox's son, who's taking care of her now... It's not good."

Riza had known Roy long enough to know that when his voice sounded as dejected as it did, that he too in his own way was being affected by current events. She briefly recalls Hughes' funeral and how Roy was that day before squeezing her eyes shut, fighting off her own emotions for the time being. She needed to be the strong one, for the General and the young Colonel.

"Shall I notify her family Sir?" Her tone was soft and somewhat sympathetic.

"No… At least not yet. I want to give it a little bit before making the call. She still might-…" _'Live... or die...'_ He stopped, momentarily struggling with his own emotions. Although he knew that what had happened was nobody's fault, guilt still gnawed away at him. Juniper was still a young woman, and it pained him at what the outcome of this incident might be. No one was made of stone after all. A quote that had been shouted by Fullmetal one time came to his mind.

 _'We're only human!'_

He sighed deeply before returning his gaze to Riza. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys. There was a key to each of his main subordinate's apartments in case of emergencies that only he held. He singled one out then passed the set of keys to her. "Could you fetch some clothes for him, please? I bet he won't want to leave anytime soon."

Riza nodded, her eyes were full of sorrow as she looked back at the Colonel behind her. She briskly left to attend to her given task.

Roy stepped over to join Alphonse at the bench he occupied, who had not been privy to the conversation between himself and Riza. He had remained staring down at the ground. Roy can't recall ever seeing him like this, at least not this badly affected.

"Alphonse…" He began quietly. "I have news about Juniper."

Although his heart leapt to his throat and his pulse quickened, Alphonse reacted slowly, turning his head slightly to meet Roy's gaze before sitting his body upright. Roy continued.

"The doctors have her stabilized, but she's still in a critical state. Her body is very weak from blood loss and is fighting to hold on at this stage, and… it can go one of two ways now, and her odds aren't good I'm afraid. There's nothing else that can be done. We just have to wait for her now." Roy was struggling to look at Alphonse, as the look in his eyes would break anyone's heart.

"When can I see her?" Alphonse mumbled softly

"Soon, in an hour or so. They're just dressing her wound."

Alphonse slowly nodded in response and went back to the same hunched over position he was in before.

"There's one more thing. The surgeon noted that the artery that had been severed apparently showed signs of repair, in what he described were characteristically similar to alchemy or alkahestry." He said as he watched Alphonse's brow furrow in confusion.

"What? I didn't… I mean I don't think I…" He trailed off twice, struggling to comprehend this new information. He tried to think back, and nothing occurred to him that could explain it.

"I had my hand on her wound the whole time she was in my arms… Nothing could have happened, I would have noticed..."

"You don't think you subconsciously did it? Alchemy isn't normally used for healing, but Alkahestry is, and you're the only one I know of in Amestris that has had that sort of training." Roy replied.

"I know how it works and I've studied it deeply, but I've honestly never been able to successfully pull it off on a more serious injury like that. Not for anything more than a small scar or two." Alphonse appeared lost.

He stood up in that instant and turned to Roy. "I need to make a call."

* * *

"That's what the surgeon told the General. But the thing is I don't remember trying to perform any alchemy or alkahestry the whole time. I couldn't think straight in that moment, let alone thinking of trying something like that." Alphonse explained as he held the telephone to his ear. He was standing around the corner from the usual waiting room lobby, leaning slightly over the phone box that was on the wall.

 _"Hmm…"_ The voice on the other end was quiet for a moment.

 _"With all due respect, it's a little ironic that this has happened to be honest. I was actually reading through some old scrolls about something exactly like this happening to a few people not too long ago."_ The high pitched voice fluttered over the phone, though more feminine now than squeaky and girly as it once was.

"What did it say? What caused it?" Alphonse replied, eager for information.

 _"It said that the people it happened to were all in a dire or life threatening situation that didn't allow enough time for a rational thought, like in your case. The only way they managed to have this happen to them was because they had a transmutation circle on them, or even something that had a Purification circle on it close to them. Then the person would subconsciously pass on their own flow of chi to the one with the ailment, effectively healing them completely or just enough to sustain them longer. But a key note for it was that the connection between the person who performed it, and the person who received it, had life bound bonds. Like siblings, or a husband and wife. It sounds to me like the ultimate declaration of love."_ She explained, her final sentence sounding dreamy.

To Alphonse it made sense, but knowing why it made sense to him caused his cheeks to pink slightly, but he quickly pushed the thought away.

"So do you think my ability to perform alchemy and alkahestry without an array must've come into play?"

 _"I can't see there being any other explanation for it Alphonse. I think that whether you knew it or not at the time, you actually saved your friends life."_

"Do you think I could do it again, but knowingly?"

 _"I'm sure you could, although it may not be as effective since you're still fairly new at this type of alkahestry. But from the extent of what you've told me, I think any little bit would help in this case."_

Alphonse let out the first sigh of relief he had in a while in one big whoosh. Now he wouldn't feel so helpless. He smiled softly. "Thanks May. You've been a big help."

 _"I'm always a big help, what are you saying?"_ She teased; feeling that even a little bit of humor can do him some good.

He chuckled softly, though it was somewhat forced. He was just too emotionally mixed up that he couldn't offer a genuine laugh. May understood this though. They bid each other goodbye soon after, and Alphonse hung up the phone. He turned to head back to the area he had been waiting in before he made his call, but was stopped when Roy placed a hand on his shoulder from behind. He stopped and turned to face the man.

"Sir?"

Roy was glad to see some light back in his eyes and face, and it relieved him to see it.

"I've just seen Juniper. She's still unconscious and currently receiving a blood transfusion, but you're still free to go see her. Before you do I need to give you your new orders." He could tell he was about to get a protest, so he held his hand up to halt him. "Before you say anything, just hear me out. I'm not sure if you remember much of last night, but the Crimson Blade alchemist managed to get away from us despite our efforts to track him down. Thanks to Juniper, we apprehended Shadowfrost and Ironforce, but so far they're refusing to talk. I need as many hands on this case now as I can get, but after seeing… the rather provocative things Jagger did to Juniper, I'm not exactly prepared to leave her in such a state unguarded. I'm not sure he even knows of her status in the military. But in any case, I'm assigning you to the task of keeping her safe on your own. Besides it wouldn't do you or anyone else any good if you spent the day moping around the office." He finished with a soft smirk. It was the only way he knew Alphonse wouldn't fret over her. He also wasn't stupid; he had an idea of how the young alchemist felt about her already.

A genuine, appreciative smile formed on Alphonse's face. Now he could stay by her side and keep his worries at bay… almost. He nodded at Roy. "Thank you Sir."

* * *

The latch on the wooden door clicked softly into place as Alphonse closed it behind him upon entering the room. The room was light and airy, but dimmed slightly from the half drawn curtains at the window, blotting out the bright morning sunshine. The room wasn't large, being a private patient room in the ICU, but practical. A curtain stand blocked his view of the bed as he stepped further into the room. The head nurse, a graying middle aged woman with kind green eyes, stepped out from behind it, and then stopped suddenly to see Alphonse standing there with an apprehensive expression.

"Oh you must be Colonel Elric. General Mustang said you had been put on stand-by here to watch over Major Fox. I took the liberty of setting up a cot for you to sleep on, along with some extra blankets." She said as she gestured to a small portable bed in the far corner by the window, blankets folded neatly at the foot of it.

"You really didn't need to go through all the trouble for me, Ma'am. I would've been just as happy in the chair." He said graciously.

"It's no trouble at all young man." She smiled with kindness in her eyes. They reminded him of his Mother's eyes, and he instantly felt comfort warming his heart.

"Is it okay to…?" He mumbled softly, trailing off.

"Oh, of course! Just be mindful of her tubes and wound. Come get me as soon as you can if anything happens. She's my priority patient from now on until she wakes up." She nodded as she began to wheel a cart off to the side and out of the way for him to pass. She smiled once more before turning and leaving the room.

Alphonse stepped closer, and as the bed came into view, he slowly halted when he saw Juniper's near lifeless figure laying there. The sheets were lightly tucked to her sides with her arms resting above them. She had a few tubes connected to her hands and the inside of her elbow, some with clear liquid, and others with red. Her neck was freshly bandaged with soft white cloth. Alphonse moved in closer to sit in a chair that was right at her side. His eyes stared at her pale face, her eyelids still, the only motion she made was the rising and falling of her chest as she breathed slowly and softly.

He felt like he was going to fall apart all over again. But he had to keep himself in check for her sake. He gingerly reached for her hand, letting it rest between his larger ones as he lightly held it. It pleased him to find that she was no longer cold and that her skin, though not hot, had heated a great deal since arriving at the hospital earlier.

He sat with her in the peaceful silence; attentive to each breathe she took. It was a welcome comfort to him.

Alphonse briefly thought back to the phone call he had with May earlier, and figured that he would try out the theory they had discussed. He reached over Juniper's body, placing a light hand above her bandaged neck and began focusing his chi energy, wanting to emit it to her.

He tried… and tried… and tried…

He spent a better part of the day trying to heal her wound with alkahestry, but nothing had come of his efforts. He wasn't entirely disheartened though. He figured that his lack of sleep and current emotional state had left any chi energy he did have to remain dormant.

He would just have to wait.

* * *

 _One week later…_

Alphonse's efforts were almost in vain. Nothing he did worked. He just couldn't do it. Dejected, he had stopped trying to use alkahestry all together to aid in Juniper's recovery.

Halfway through the week, she began to show improvements. The color returned to her face and her heart rate was now at a healthy beat. Aside from the healing gash on her throat, she was perfectly healthy. Only, she had still not woken up.

While Juniper appeared to improve, Alphonse began to decline. He started to refuse to leave the room unless a nurse came in for a while or Roy and Riza came to visit. Even then, he only left to shower and take care of his needs. He even began refusing to eat, seldom eating a piece of bread or some fruit that was brought to him, being verbally forced to do so by Roy. He spent most nights in the chair beside her bed, having passed out with her hand held in his own.

* * *

 _Another week passes…_

Roy was now beyond concerned, not only for Juniper's unchanged state, but Alphonse's loss of spirit. He knew he couldn't send him off on leave, as it wouldn't help Alphonse at all. During the week, Roy had called Juniper's Father and brother in Kadayr, and it was Dan who made the trip alone to Central to be with her. He couldn't stay for as long as he would've liked though, as he had to return to their Father who had been left to look after the business as well as being too grief stricken to make the trip himself. But even Dan had expressed his worry over Alphonse to the General. Roy didn't know what else to do.

* * *

 _Friday of the second week…_

Alphonse was sitting in the chair at her bedside. His head leaning on his hand that he had propped under his chin, which was now covered in the short stubble of dark blond facial hair. Overcast citrine eyes peered at Juniper's sleeping face, nothing changed since last week. The only notable thing was the doctor confirming something Alphonse had begun to suspect; Juniper was in a coma. Not due to the wound, but from the pent up trauma she had suffered as a teenager along with what had happened at the Central bank. The young son of Dr Knox, who had been in charge of Juniper's care, explained that sometimes when the mind suffers so much, it can't cope, and shuts itself down to try and mend.

But now, he was so absorbed in watching her peaceful sleep that he didn't notice the comforting, familiar hand come to rest on his shoulder.

"Alphonse...?" The voice was calm, pained and sorrowful.

It took him a moment to register the voice in his head, but when he did, he hesitantly tore his eyes away from Juniper to look up at the person who stood by his side.

"B-Brother." Alphonse stood abruptly and threw his arms around Edward, letting everything he felt pour out in a wash of overwhelming emotion as fresh tears sprung to his eyes. Edward was the only person he could allow himself to do this in front of, and the relief he felt as he sobbed against his older brother's shoulder was everything he had needed in that moment.

Edward had gotten on the train and arrived in Central within hours of receiving a phone call from Roy. The way the General spoke concern over Alphonse was all it took for him to get here as fast as he could manage. Upon entering the room and seeing him however, it had angered him to see his brother wallowing in self-pity and the condition he had let allowed himself to fall into. Not malnourished, but certainly weakened. As soon as he assessed the situation however, seeing how lifeless his eyes were, his anger had disappeared instantly. Edward had never physically seen his younger brother like this, not since their Mother died.

Edward held him for what felt like hours, letting him pour his burdens out for him to help shoulder, being the comforting older brother.

* * *

"So this Jagger moron… He got away huh?" Edward muttered with his mouth full of Winry's apple pie that he had brought along with him.

"Yeah." Alphonse nodded before biting into a slice of his own pie. Edward had convinced him to eat, and he did so willing, realizing how hungry he had been after getting everything off his chest.

"Bastard." Edward grumbled. After hearing everything from Alphonse, he was livid about what had happened. Alphonse simply rolled his eyes, finally feeling his sense of humor returning.

"So the world isn't as big as we thought, huh Al?" Edward said as he brushed the crumbs from his shirt.

Alphonse's brow furrowed slightly with confusion, not understanding where he was going with this. Edward saw this and chuckled before gesturing with a nod of his head towards Juniper, watching as Alphonse clued in.

"O-Oh! Yeah… I guess it's not." He said softly, his gaze still turned to where she rested. They had seated themselves by the portable bed in the far corner of the room, trying to be somewhat polite to Juniper without actually leaving the room. Alphonse still refused to budge after all.

Edward snickered then went quiet again before his brother turned back around. Alphonse became curious over something as he looked down at the pie slice he still held onto.

"Ed, could I… ask you something?"

"Shoot." He said after taking another slice of pie into his mouth.

"When did you first realize… that you loved Winry?" He said somewhat hesitantly.

Edward spluttered, choked then coughed, thumping a fist on his chest until he righted himself after the unexpected question.

"Ugh… Don't kill me Al. Jeez…"

Alphonse looked at him with raised brows, waiting.

Edward looked back at him incredulously. He tried to play it off with nonchalance, which he was always too obvious to pull off. "Oh well, you know. Probably when we got back home after getting our bodies back."

Alphonse gave him an _'I don't believe your bullshit'_ look. Bland and not amused at all.

Edward let out a defeated sigh before pausing in thought. "To be honest, I knew I liked her a lot when we were kids. I was always the little shit that picked on her the most after all."

They both snickered, remembering how Edward always gave her a hard time which ended up back firing on him with well hidden wrenches most of the time.

"My feelings became more apparent to me the first time we returned home for repairs. All those years I did what I could to push the feelings aside because I thought that it would be a burden if I kept thinking about her. But it was Hawkeye who called me out on it. After that, I started to let those feelings grow slowly. When I finally admitted to myself that I was in love with her, I felt like I was a stronger person on the inside somehow, like she gave me the extra strength I needed to get through those years." Edward spoke in a fond tone that was full of adoration as he looked down at the pie slice in his hand.

Alphonse remained quiet as he considered Edwards words, staring out the window to see the bright blue sky of the mild day. He didn't notice Edward now staring at him with a suspiciously raised brow and a cheeky smirk.

"Speaking of feelings… It's almost like you two were destined to meet each other. I mean, look all the coincidences you've told me about." Edward blurted out, trying to get a rise out of his brother. But he didn't quite get the reaction he had expected, but was rather surprised when he saw Alphonse's cheeks turn pink and a soft smile slowly appear on his face.

"Yeah… Maybe… I feel like I've known her my whole life…" He said as he stared out of the window.

Something that May had said to him two weeks ago resounded in his head.

 _'…"But a key note for it was that the connection between the person who performed it, and the person who received it had life bound bonds. Like siblings, or a husband and wife. It sounds to me like the ultimate declaration of love."…'_

Along with Edward's recently spoken words.

 _'…"When I finally admitted to myself that I was in love with her, I felt like I was a stronger person on the inside somehow, like she gave me the extra strength I needed to get through those years."…'_

It all made sense to him now, how he had managed to save her from bleeding to death by using alkahestry. He told her, in his thoughts at least, that he loved her. But was that it? Was that him admitting it to himself back then? It was, but at the same time it wasn't.

 _'That must be why it only worked a little bit! My denial simply clouded my inner flow of chi.'_

His realization stunned him, his gold eyes blinking from the surprise it gave him.

"Al?" Edward noticed the dumbfounded look on his brother's face.

"You know, I think that I…" Alphonse trailed off into a soft mumble as his mind backtracked to the memories he had made with Juniper so far.

From the day he had bumped into her and at the time not knowing it was actually her, to the state alchemy exams then the hours spent in the local bar getting to know one another. The studying they did together with a cup of their favorite tea, to spending the day helping her to get settled in Central. The most prominent memory being from when they first touched each other's hand outside the hotel she stayed in. The spark he felt, he could still feel deep within his heart, only it had grown more than he could comprehend.

 _'I like her, I know that much. But do I love her? I… think I do… No. I know I do. I'm definitely in love with Juniper.'_ He confessed to himself and turned his eyes from the window to her sleeping form.

"You think what, Al?" Edward heard his mumbling, but didn't understand what he was saying.

"I love her… I pretty sure that I do, Ed. Undoubtedly." Alphonse now spoke out clearly as he looked back at his brother, who simply nodded in understanding.

"I thought that you might." Edward said knowingly, making Alphonse's blush deepen. He wasn't going to tease him about something as deep as this. Maybe a few years ago when he was an immature teenager he might've, but he understood that feelings of love was never something to be joked about.

"Are you going to tell her that when she wakes up?"

"Wh-what? No! I can't. We're just friends and work colleagues, so I couldn't…" Alphonse flustered as he waved his hands in front of him, leaving Edward to laugh at his expense.

As Alphonse drifted of in thought once more, Edward leaned in next to him, wiggling his brows and smirking suggestively, which effectively earned himself a hard punch in the arm from his younger brother. Alphonse smirked and shook his head.

 _'Well… maybe… One day.'_

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Alphonse was always more honest with himself after all...

Ahhh... So we have a bit progress and self-confession *brow wiggles*. I had a thought that maybe I was pushing the whole 'admitting feelings' thing a bit far too soon when I figured that Alphonse is really only confessing to himself (and Ed, whom we hope Al doesn't come to regret telling) xD. I also don't want to spend the next 20 or so chapters revolving just over the two of them coming to terms with feelings and confessing to one another. It just drags on otherwise. So I apologize if it appears to be moving too fast (or too slow x0x;), but I'm being somewhat cautious with it so the romance element doesn't become a bit overpowering and predictable as most romance tends to be. Let's see if things warm up a bit now~

I'm always up for suggestions too!


	12. Igniting The Fire

**Disclaimer:** I do not own FMA or any of the characters. They belong to Arakawa-Senpai~ I only own my OC's, my made up towns/cities/countries/other misc characters and this fanfiction.

 **Author's Note:** I included some verses from the song _'Don't Let Go'_ by Brian Adams in this chapter, kind of like a background soundtrack for the scene. I personally think the song suits Alphonse and Juniper perfectly in this story. Listen to it and you might see what I mean. I have a habit of listening to a lot of music when I write, as it inspires me to write more emotion into it, or at least try to.

I welcome CONSTRUCTIVE criticism, so please review somewhat kindly. Also feel free to PM me for any questions/queries about this story, or even just to say hello :3

* * *

 **Chapter:** Igniting The Fire

 **Summary:** ' _You are my salvation...'_

* * *

A soft knock at the door sent the sound echoing through the small room, soon followed by the sound of a door being opened quietly and something on wheels being rolled in. Alphonse stirred from his nap at the subtle sounds that entered the room. His golden eyes flickered and blinked softly as he sat up further in the chair beside Juniper's bed. He turned his head in the direction of the sound and noticed that the head nurse who'd been taking care of Juniper had quietly walked in, pushing a small cart. She offered him a warm smile as she watched him become adjusted to the soft light of twilight that entered the room from the window.

"Good evening Colonel. I apologize for disturbing you. I came to change Miss Fox's bandages; I also brought you some food." She said, halting the cart at the end of the bed.

"No, it's perfectly fine Ma'am. It's a poor hour to be napping anyway." He replied with a soft smile of his own.

The head nurse, whose name was Inez, had noticed a subtle difference in the young man's face when he smiled at her today. She raised a curious brow and continued with light conversation as she got to work, prepping the new bandages. "You appear to be in much better spirits today. Did something good happen?"

"Yeah, I suppose so. My brother came earlier today to see me, and Miss Fox." He said, glancing back at Juniper.

"Oh well that's lovely. Does he know Miss Fox as well?" Nurse Inez was glad he was talking, so she kept it going for a little more now that he had perked up a bit since yesterday.

"Yeah, well-acquainted I suppose. She helped him out once when he found himself some trouble in his past travels. He was lucky she appeared in the right place at the right time." He said with a quiet chuckle and a shake of his head.

Nurse Inez chuckled. "My my, he sounds as if he certainly got lucky then. Did he go home already?"

"No, I sent him back to my apartment while I'm here with Juniper. It's a long journey back home and I couldn't have him staying in some hotel." Alphonse said as Nurse Inez approached Juniper from the other side of the bed, tugging the cart along with her.

"You should go be with him while he's here. I can watch out for Miss Fox tonight." She replied as she started to gently remove Juniper's bandages from around her neck.

"I couldn't leave here and be able to relax I'm afraid Ma'am. I'd be too paranoid. Ed understands; besides I think he knows I'd drive him crazy with my fretting." He turned his head slightly to look away as the bandage was removed. It wasn't that it was bad to look at; in fact it was healing very well. But it was the guilt that gnawed at his insides and twisted his heart when he saw it. He still felt he could have prevented it.

Nurse Inez nodded her head, silently agreeing.

It fell quiet as Nurse Inez gently wrapped the fresh new bandage around Juniper's neck, being mindful of the stitches in her soft flesh. Once that was done, she went over and checked her vital signs, which showed no real change from what they should be. Lastly, she replaced the near empty bag of fluid that kept Juniper hydrated with a new one before rolling the cart away, she stopped just at the end of the bed once more. She reached under the cart and pulled a tray from one of its shelves then placed the tray on a small table that was in the room.

"There's some chicken soup and some fresh bread there for you. You really should eat more, young man. I'm sure Miss Fox would be less than pleased if she woke up and found you had not been eating properly." She chided softly with a light chuckle.

Alphonse resisted the urge to roll his eyes, and simply smiled. "You're probably right Ma'am. Thank you."

She nodded then turned to leave the room with her cart, closing the door quietly behind her.

Alphonse let out a loud sigh and rose to his feet. He stretched out, his arms reaching up and groaned from the stiffness in his body being released. He considered to himself that he really should move about more. The smell of the fresh soup wafted its way to him, and inadvertently caused his stomach to grumble. That was embarrassing. He needed to eat.

He looked down at her, appearing lost for a moment. "Would you be upset with me? With everything that's happened, everything I've be unable to do these past two weeks?" He asked her, knowing his only response from her was the gentle rhythmic breathes she took. As much as he craved to hear her voice; to him, that was more than enough.

* * *

 _"Very well._ _ **Have her!**_ _" Jagger shouted as he thrust Juniper's almost motionless body towards Alphonse, but in the process, ran the blade of the arrow across her throat before turning and making a dash for the darkness of the alleyway to make his escape._

 _"_ _ **Juniper!**_ _" Alphonse, Roy and Riza cried out as everything they witnessed seemed to slow time. The garbled sound of her painful cry struck Alphonse hard. She stumbled a few steps before finally collapsing to the pavement,but not before he had rushed out in time to catch her upper body, preventing it from hitting the hard, wet ground._

 _Her skin was cold from the rain and lack of clothing, but her blood was burning up with an oncoming fever. Alphonse quickly pressed his hand against her slit throat to stop the bleeding, but it became apparent that his effort was fruitless. She was going to bleed out if she didn't get help soon._

 _He watched her eyes flutter, fighting to stay open as she grew weaker and weaker in his arms. The rain continued to pour down relentlessly as the thunder rumbled throughout the skies above them._

 _"I'm sorry…. Alphonse…. I'm so sorry."_

 _"No! Don't say that. This is not your fault. We're going to get you some help. Just hold on for me a little longer."_

 _"Alphonse…" A gentle hand rose to caress his cheek, and then weakly fell away from it, falling into the pavement with a gentle thud._

 _Alphonse shook her body. "Juniper? Juniper, look at me."_

 _She didn't move._

 _She didn't make a noise._

 _She didn't open her eyes._

 _She stopped breathing, and darkness enclosed around them._

 _"_ _ **Juniper!**_ _"_

Alphonse bolted upright with wild and frightened eyes, the sheets falling and pooling around his waist. He was panting heavily and his body glistened with sweat under his black tank shirt. Quickly searching the room, his eyes halted onto a sleeping figure across the room from where he lay. He swallowed hard and let out a long sigh of relief as he tried to calm his rapidly beating heart. Figuring he wasn't going to get back to sleep anytime soon, tossed the sheets aside and swung his legs out of the portable bed. He rubbed his hands over his face and exhaled roughly. He lost count the amount of times he had had this dream, and each time, it become more vivid, more frightening. Alphonse now hated sleeping, especially at night.

He reached out and grabbed the pair of slacks he had laid out to wear the following day then slipped them on. He figured there'd be no point in even trying to sleep again.

Slowly, he walked over to Juniper. She was still here, breathing and alive. It calmed him, but felt it also made him restless. He just wanted to see her beautiful hazel eyes and hear her lovely voice. It was becoming unbearable, waiting and never knowing if he would.

The bright moonlight that shone down through the window and over her pale skin made her look all the more beautiful to him. He let out a soft sigh as he leaned in over her, placing his hands on either side of her head. With the softest and most tender touch, he moved his left hand to her cheek. Feeling the soft heat of her skin, his breathe hitched slightly at the simple touch. Slowly, he moved his hand down, letting it come to a rest over her bandages. Alphonse couldn't cope with this heartache anymore. He felt the bitter sting of fresh tears as he closed his eyes and leaned in more, his face moving closer to hers.

With a final peek at her sleeping face, he closed his eyes and moved in, pressing his forehead to hers with the tips of their noses barely touching. This was the closest he had been to her, and yet neither he, nor she could enjoy it in the way a simple touch should be enjoyed.

He sensed her inner chi; dormant and weak. Like a tired flame nearing the end of its wick, close to burning out. But the raging fire of raw emotion and feeling was burning deep within Alphonse's heart, and he felt it coursing through him at the touch of their skin, through to her, reigniting.

 _'Wake up Juniper… Please wake up… I-… I need you. I don't think I can cope much more without seeing your smiling face once again. Let me be your strength...'_ He pleaded mentally. Silently, he bore his energy to her. A soft blueish white glow emitted from his left palm that was upon her neck as he yearned to help her, to heal her in whichever way he could. He wasn't sure how long he stayed there like this for, but when he pulled away from her, he felt drained and lethargic, and stumbled back to sit in the bedside chair. He looked at her, seeing no response or movement at all. Perhaps his efforts were in vain after all, and she was too far gone? He slouched over, crossing his arms in front of himself and leaned against them on the soft mattress. He buried his face in to crook of his elbow and let out a deep, miserable sigh. He soon found himself drifting off to sleep.

* * *

 _Alphonse watched Juniper's eyes flutter, fighting to stay open as she grew weaker and weaker in his arms. The rain continued to pour down relentlessly as the thunder rumbled throughout the skies above them. It was the same dream that had been haunting him again and again._

 _"I'm sorry…. Alphonse…. I'm so sorry."_

 _"No! Don't say that. This is not your fault. We're going to get you some help. Just hold on for me a little longer."_

 _"Alphonse…" A gentle hand rose to caress his cheek, but something was different about it this time. It was the way her voice sounded; hoarse and sore, but with a hint of warmth and affection._

 _"Alphonse…" Juniper repeated it once more, her hand caressing his cheek again, but it was a smooth and warm touch, not cold and trembling one like most the dreams had been like._

 _He watched her eyes open. Was this a dream? He wished it wasn't, he wished it was real. Her hand moved away from his face and cupped one of his hands lightly._

 _"Alphonse…"_

Alphonse stirred from his sleep, blinking his golden eyes as he remembered that he had passed out at Juniper's bedside. His hand felt warm, like it was under the soft flesh of a palm. As his eyes adjusted, he could see a smaller hand placed loosely above his. Citrine orbs stared in disbelief as they traveled up the arm that the hand belonged to, and widened achingly when they connected with glistening, hooded hazel eyes.

Alphonse bolted upright immediately and stared into the endless pools of mixed color that was Juniper's groggy and awakened eyes. She smiled weakly, but it was a smile that expressed so much. With the short time she had been awake, she realized that she was in the hospital, and quickly found that Alphonse was fast asleep at her bedside. She didn't know how long she had been unconscious for, or what had happened after she passed out, but seeing Alphonse here was enough reassurance to know that she was very much safe.

"Hi…" she croaked softly as she smiled sheepishly.

Alphonse grabbed her hand and held it tightly within both of his own as he pressed it close to him. The relief that rushed through him was incredible and intense, and he was so happy that he could feel his eyes begin to sting with happy tears that welled up in his eyes but never fell. He wanted to say so much, but he honestly struggled to find the words that were right for this moment.

"Oh Juniper, you have no idea how relieved I am. I was so worried. I was so afraid that you were never going to wake up." He said in a rush, fighting off the urge to grab her and hug her so tightly out of fear that she would close her eyes again. "How are you feeling?"

Juniper opened her mouth, and with the hand that wasn't currently being squeezed to death by Alphonse, she pointed to it. Her throat was so dry and sore, and she was very parched. Just saying his name and a tiny 'Hi' was painful. Alphonse realized this quickly.

"Oh you're thirsty? I'll go get you the nurse to come look at you." His words still came out in a rush as he quickly stood. When he turned to go, he felt her tug on his hand that was still intertwined with hers. He looked back at her with concern, but soon realized that she was pulling him back, and he let her do so, following the direction of her pull. Juniper was tugging him down to lean over her, and when he was close enough, she lifted a weak arm up and threw it around his neck. She pulled him in close and hugged him as tightly as she could manage. Alphonse's cheeks turned a deep crimson as his heart thrashed against his chest, thinking that even when in such a weakened state, she was such a sweetheart. He gently wrapped his arms around her where he could, and returned the embrace. He wasn't sure how, but he knew she was thanking him in the only way she could right now. Even though he felt he didn't really deserve it, it warmed his heart.

Hesitantly, he pulled away from her. "I'll be right back. I promise."

* * *

It was only about 2 o'clock in the morning, but Nurse Inez was still on her shift when Alphonse came running to the nurse's desk, telling her in a rush of excited words that Miss Fox had awoken and had needs to be taken care of. She was now pushing Juniper back to her room in a wheelchair after helping the young woman to the bathroom to use the restroom and bathe.

Juniper felt so much better after a brief, but rather embarrassing, assisted shower. She couldn't understand why she couldn't go by herself without the nurse. That is until her weak legs threatened to give out under her. She hadn't realized she had been in a hospital bed for two whole weeks, nor did she realize the toll it had taken on her body. She let out a soft sigh as she was settled back into bed. Nurse Inez briefly left, but then returned holding a small metal bowl with large ice chips in it.

"You have to take your fluids slowly for now, Miss. The doctor will be in later this morning to take a look at your throat before I'm allowed to give you any proper fluids or food." Nurse Inez said apologetically as she watched Juniper's brow furrow lightly and pout softly, but got a nod in response. She left the room shortly after double checking Juniper had everything she needed for now.

Alphonse turned to Juniper and smiled softly as he watched her try to pick up one of the ice chips that kept slipping from her grasp, hearing her grumble softly. He cast his eyes down at the bed in front of him and rubbed the back of his neck as he smiled sheepishly. "Uhh… w-would you like some help Juniper?"

Her cheeks heated at the offer, but she didn't respond to him straight away as she continued to try. She just couldn't quite get a grip on the small, cold objects. Her hands were too weak and warm right now, and the nurse had forgotten to leave her a spoon or anything to help scoop them up with. Slowly, she lifted her head to look at Alphonse, considering his offer before nodding her head shyly.

Alphonse rose from his chair and turned to sit on the edge of her bed, facing her. He took the metal bowl from her lap and placed it in his own, then picked up a smaller ice chip between his index finger and thumb, and lifted it to her lips. He watched as she bit down on her bottom lip, and he had to suppress a groan from arising in his throat. He now remembered he had this same reaction every time she did this little habit of hers, and it caused reactions within him that were inappropriate, especially at this moment. She closed her lips around the cold shard and he let it go as she began to suckle on it, her lips smacking together appreciatively as it melted and soothed the dryness in her throat. Her face was aflame with a blush, and he was sure his was near enough the same shade.

They repeated the somewhat awkward process over and over until all the shards were gone. With her throat no longer dry or as sore, Juniper could now speak softly.

"Thank you Alphonse."

"Sure, n-no problem at all." He replied, placing the empty metal bowl on one of the bed side tables.

"No I mean, thank you for everything. You've helped take care of me the past two weeks. I can see from that bed over there you've stayed some nights too." She peered up at him.

"Uhh…well. I've actually not left the hospital at all, and I've rarely left the room. I…" He paused, deciding whether he should tell her it was because he was so frazzled with worry over her, and he had flat out refused to leave. "…I was assigned to stay here and watch over you by the General." A tiny white lie.

Juniper cast her hazel eyes down at her hands on her lap as they fiddled with the white sheets. She felt guilty. "Oh, I see. I hope you weren't too indisposed because of me."

"Absolutely not!" Alphonse had raised his tone slightly and sounded snappy, but settled quickly when he realized it, letting out a deep sigh. He could never think she caused him any inconvenience. "I mean, you're a work colleague and I was assigned to watch over you and so I did. Teammates have to watch out for one another right?" He looked at her and watched her nod, but her eyes remained on her hands in her lap.

 _'Oh nice one, moron! What the hell was that for?! Apologize dammit!'_

"Juniper… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have spoken to you like that." He looked down at the floor, guilt gnawing at him once more. She didn't deserve that after just waking up for the first time in two weeks. He felt her hand touch his shoulder.

"Alphonse? You weren't here just because you were ordered to be, were you? You were worried about me." She stated softly. She could only imagine how the past two weeks must've been for him. If it was the other way around, and he had been unconscious for two whole weeks after having his throat slit, she'd be at her wits end too. She could see the internal battle going on behind his wonderful golden eyes.

He finally cracked, tears welling up and falling from his eyes as he squeezed them shut. His heart; though relieved that she was going to be okay, still felt shattered and exhausted after everything that's happened. "Oh Juniper… I felt like I was in my own personal hell. Even with all my skill and knowledge, I couldn't save you from what happened. I feel like I could have stopped this from ever happening to you. Not only because you're part of my team, but you're also my friend, a friend I should have been able to save. I failed you." He paused with a shaky breathe, trying to swallow a sob that threatened to escape. "After that, I couldn't bear to leave your side. I was afraid that… I was afraid that I… that we… would lose you."

Hot tears began to roll down Juniper's cheeks. Alphonse was the most compassionate, selfless man she had ever met, and his words made her heart thump just that little bit harder. Without thinking, she shuffled out of the blankets and crawled over to his side at the edge of the bed. She placed gentle hands on his cheeks and turned his face to hers. His golden eyes were like liquid honey behind his pained tears that continued to flow, which she would wipe away with her thumbs with a gentle caress. He had been here for her, and though she wasn't aware of it yet, because of him and his alkahestry, she was going to be okay. Now she would be here for him. He was a good man, and even good men still suffer; only he had suffered more than his fair share. It was time he got his own equivalent exchange for it, and even more.

"Juniper… you should get back into bed. You need to be resting. I don't want you to get cold." He said softly in a concerned tone as his own hand came up and wiped her own tears from her cheek.

Juniper sniffled quietly. "Okay… but you should too."

Alphonse nodded and looked as if he was about to stand when her hand grabbed his own. He looked back at her and watched her climb back into bed; only she held the sheets open and tugged him down with a bit more strength than she had an hour ago. He nearly fell onto her, but braced his hands on either side of her body. He stared down at her with wide eyes, pink dusting his cheeks softly as they did with hers.

 _I can't believe this moment's come_

 _It's so incredible that we're alone_

 _There's so much to be said and done_

 _It's impossible not to be overcome_

"Stay here with me Alphonse." She said, almost pleading.

He hesitated, he wasn't even sure if he had heard her right. He resisted the urge to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. Alphonse felt his cheeks burning as he stared down at her. She appeared a little shy even, something he never thought she'd be. She was adorable; surely there was no way he could say no.

 _Will you forgive me if I feel this way_

 _Cuz we've just met - tell me that's OK_

 _So take this feeling'n make it grow_

 _Never let it - never let it go_

"I'm not going anywhere, Juniper. Not tonight. Tonight I'll be here with you." He whispered softly with the warmest of smiles.

With his decision made, he reached over and turned the light switch off then slowly moved his body to lie down beside her on the bed. They both had butterflies in their stomachs as they got settled under the sheets, which Alphonse pulled up over them both. Nerves could be felt between them, but oddly, there was no awkwardness. They faced one another, looking into each other's tear burdened eyes, even though the tears no longer flowed.

"Are you warm?" Alphonse whispered to her, seeing her nod her reply.

"Yes I am. Are you?" She replied, also on a whisper.

"I will be soon enough." He smiled warmly. Truth be told he was a little cold. But lying here beside her, he was sure he'd warm up quickly, even though they weren't even touching each other. That is, until she shuffled her body closer, settling against his chest. Her arms wrapped around his waist as her head rested against him. He gasped softly at the contact of her warm body, but kept himself composed as he wrapped his own arms around her smaller frame. He stared down at her closed eyes, his own were a little bewildered, but mostly filled with affection.

 _Now would you mind if I bared my soul_

 _If I came right out and said you're beautiful_

 _Cuz there's something here I can't explain_

 _I feel I'm diving into driving rain_

A lock of burgundy brown hair fell onto her closed eyes, so he reached up and gently moved it, tucking it behind her ear. Her hazel eyes fluttered open to look up into his golden ones, her cheeks pink from their close proximity. It felt so right, so normal but also so exhilarating. They could barely make out each other's heartbeat, which sounded almost perfectly in sync. The charge of mixed emotions, and the pull between them was strongly felt. It was such an overwhelming feeling, wanting to push them closer.

"Juniper?" Alphonse whispered with his eyes hooded as he stared into her own.

"Yeah?" She replied softly.

Alphonse leaned in closer, bringing their noses together. The simple touch sent a spark shooting through both of them, causing them to shudder pleasantly as breathing became soft, heated pants.

 _You get my senses running wild_

 _I can't resist your sweet, sweet smile_

 _So take this feeling 'n make it grow_

 _Never let it - never let it go_

"I missed you…. So much…" He confessed with fading words as his lips came close to hers, barely feathering over them as he hesitated. She let out a soft whimper, wanting but fighting the urge to take the initiative herself. The need for sleep was against them and closing in fast as they both closed their eyes, leaning in just a fraction more… So very close.

But sleep had beaten them. They let their dreams take hold and guide them into a peaceful, warm slumber, remaining in each other's arms till dawn.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** This was probably my favorite chapter to write so far...


	13. Morning Warmth

**Disclaimer:** I do not own FMA or any of the characters. They belong to Arakawa-Senpai~ I only own my OC's, my made up towns/cities/countries/other misc characters and this fanfiction.

 **Author's Note:** I welcome CONSTRUCTIVE criticism, so please review somewhat kindly. Also feel free to PM me for any questions/queries about this story, or even just to say hello :3

* * *

 **Chapter:** Morning Warmth

 **Summary:** _Just the smell of summer can make me fall in love.._

* * *

The soft, sweet sound of twittering morning songbirds was the first thing that awoke Juniper's senses the following morning. The next was the very pleasant scent of apples and cinnamon. Her body felt warm and safe; enveloped in a strong, yet gentle embrace. Hazel eyes fluttered open and Juniper smiled softly at the sight of Alphonse lying beside her, sighing softly as he slept peacefully. They had seldom moved much in the few hours of sleep they got.

Juniper felt like she could happily lay here all day beside him, but her body had other ideas and needs that have to be tended to. Slowly, she slipped her arms away from around his waist, hoping not to disturb him as she made her way out of bed. But she didn't count on Alphonse being a light sleeper, seeing his golden eyes begin to flicker open. They were well rested, and absolutely radiant in the morning light.

"Oh, good morning Alphonse. I'm sorry I disturbed your sleep." Juniper spoke softly, her voice still groggy.

He hummed in response as his mind came to. When he did finally focus, his eyes met with bright hazel ones that were very close to his face. Alphonse gasped suddenly as he realized how close their bodies were, how close their faces were. Then memories of last night come flooding back in a wild rush, about how close their lips had gotten to one another's in what could have resulted in a near kiss. His face lit up with a bright crimson blush.

"Ju-Juniper! I-… I'm-… Uhh… S-Sorry! I-… _Shit!_ " He spluttered out a flurry of half-assed words that failed him. His body also failed him, for in his slight panic; he had sat up and shuffled back quickly. He was trying not to invade her personal space, but forgetting how close he was to the edge of the bed had seen him falling from it completely. Landing on the ground with a loud thud with his upper body resting against the bedside chair, he let out a pained and frustrated groan as he rubbed his lower back.

"Alphonse! Are you alright?!" Juniper was alarmed at his sudden tumble, and shuffled to the edge that he just fell from with a look of concern across her face.

Before he could respond however, Alphonse heard the door to the room burst open, seeing Nurse Inez rushing in. She quickly looked at Alphonse on the floor, then at Juniper kneeling on the bed near its edge, who's hospital gown had hitched up high on her thighs. She looked at them both incredulously before fixing her gaze upon the young man.

"What's going on? What happened in here? I heard a loud thump from all the way down the hall." She said in a somewhat clipped tone, as she began having assumptions on the scene that weren't exactly going in Alphonse's favor.

Both Juniper and Alphonse quickly realized this, and while he tried to think of something to say, it was Juniper that saved their asses.

She scoffed then giggled. Before she knew it, she had broken out into a laugh as she clutched her stomach.

It left the nurse confused, and Alphonse staring up at her somewhat adoringly despite the situation. It was the first time he heard her laugh in so long, it made him too happy to even care if he was about to be knocked through a loop by the nurse.

Juniper quickly settled though, then looked up at the nurse with a reassuring smile. "I'm sorry Ma'am. I know the situation looks bad, but Alphonse was actually trying to sit down on the chair behind him when he fell. He was still half asleep and missed the mark completely." She snickered softly. "I only now could laugh about it because my initial reaction was of concern for him." With that said, she gave a megawatt smile that easily convinced the nurse.

 _'Damn… she's good.'_ Alphonse mused to himself as he considered her exceptional charisma and people skills.

"Oh good… I had actually started to think that-… Oh I'm sorry Colonel." She said as she went to help him back to his feet.

He stood then rubbed the back of his head and sheepishly smiled. "Its fine Ma'am, I think anyone would come to the same conclusion you almost did. I'm just glad you weren't Major Hawkeye… I think I'd be breathing through six holes right now."

The three chuckled knowingly.

"Alright well, Dr Knox will be along in an hour or so to examine you. In the meantime, let me escort you to the bathroom." Nurse Inez said.

Juniper nodded and turned her legs off the bed to nestle her feet into bland, but snug mint green hospital slippers. There was a white robe nearby that Alphonse picked up and gently placed around her shoulders before offering her his hand so that she could stand up without the worry of falling. She was shaky at first, but soon steadied herself then looked up at him and smiled.

"Why don't you head home for a little while? You look like you could do with a good feed and a proper grooming." She said with mirth, smirking softly as she reached a hand up and gently tickled his jawline that was covered in dark blonde stubble. The motioned caused him to flush a little and chuckle softly.

Before he could refuse however, he noticed the pointed glare from Nurse Inez, as if to enforce Juniper's request. He let out a deep sigh and held his free hand up in defeat. "Alright alright… But I'll be back again soon, okay."

"Don't rush yourself. Please." Juniper muttered softly as she let go of his hand, now being supported by Nurse Inez as they began the slow shuffle towards the door, which Alphonse held open for them before going back to gather his belongings. He deftly removed his tank shirt and replaced it with a clean casual t-shirt, then picked up the small bag he had with him and left the hospital for the first time in two weeks.

* * *

The air was refreshing, at least as refreshing as Central City air could get. It reminded him of the day he got his body back and could take his first breathe of air again. The morning air was mild, promising a comfortably warm day ahead. Not even a single cloud in the sky could be seen. Today was certainly looking to be the best day Alphonse had been able to be happy about in a while. He almost couldn't help the light spring in his step as he walked home.

Entering his apartment and knowing Edward was still there, Alphonse remained quiet in case his older brother was still asleep. Not that it mattered; Edward would probably remain asleep if a steam train rolled right past him, and he could even sometimes snore as loud as a fog horn, so it wouldn't matter anyway.

Alphonse felt a long hot shower was needed first before fixing Edward and himself some breakfast. Walking through to his bedroom, he open the door to see Edward sprawled out on top of his bed, t-shirt hitched halfway up his stomach by his hand, snoring and mumbling incoherently about Winry hitting him with wrenches. Some things will never change it seemed. Alphonse rolled his eyes, and with a soft smile, walked through the room to the adjoining bathroom.

After stripping down and turning the faucets to a high temperature, he moved in under the hot stream of cascading water. He always enjoyed his showers this way; hot and almost scalding. Perhaps it was the bitter sting that crawled over his skin that he enjoyed, after years of not being able to feel anything in the hollow shelled body he once possessed. It was always the little things that Alphonse had missed the most, whether it was a positive or negative thing, he reveled in it.

Remaining under the searing stream of water for longer than usual, his mind contemplated the events of the past month. So much had happened that he had completely forgotten that his birthday was tomorrow. If birthday wishes even came true, well he felt his had already come true before even making it. After all, it's all he had wished for the past two weeks. Considering this, his thoughts went to his feelings for Juniper. It was overwhelming at how quickly he had fallen for her, let alone admitted it to himself. Was this normal, or even possible? Falling in love with someone within a month of meeting them. Sure it wasn't unheard of, at least as far as romance novels went, but he worried that he felt this way for all the wrong reasons. The worry didn't linger though, for Alphonse knew that he wasn't lusting for her, at least it wasn't the driving force behind his emotions. In fact, he'd never had a lewd thought about her in the short time of knowing her. Oh, but the lip biting; a little habit she seemed to have when she was deep in thought or contemplating something important. The way her teeth pressed into the soft fullness of her delicate pink lips, then leaving barely noticeable indentations there…. Alphonse let out an audible groan that echoed in the small shower space. There was that lewd thought that had been missing. Alphonse could feel his wayward body responding, so he dispelled the thoughts completely from his mind and finished up showering as quickly as possible.

Stepping out, Alphonse wrapped a towel around his lower half, the soft fabric clinging to his hips. A light tuft of dark blond hair trailed down from under his navel to disappear beneath towel. He went to the mirror under the sink and began the mundane task of shaving. The soft knock at the door echoed in the small room before it opened, revealing Edward who lazily leaned against the door frame with his arms folded over his chest in a nonchalant manner. A playful smirk was on his face.

"Was last night as good for you as it was for me, Handsome?" He teased as he mimicked a feminine voice.

Alphonse set down the razor blade after finishing up then picked up a washcloth and tossed it hard at his idiotic older brother while shaking his head, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. The washcloth was wet, and landed with a splat right in the middle Edward's face. Alphonse skilfully caught it in his hand as it was pitched back at him with force, letting out a loud chuckle.

"Shut up and go make my breakfast, you wench." He spat back with mirth.

"Tch… You know everything I cook ends up either rubbery or charcoaled." Edward replied with a humored shrug. He saw Alphonse shudder, obviously thinking about his cooking. "Hey!" He snapped.

"You said it Ed, not me. Though it is odd that an former alchemist could screw up something as simple as cooking. Then again, it is you." Alphonse laughed as he raised his hands defensively while walking past Edward and into the bedroom. He listened to Edward's grumble as his brother shuffled his way out to the lounge room. Alphonse wasted no time getting dressed and began cooking up some food, as he realized how famished he suddenly was.

* * *

The brothers ate while conversing lightly. Most of everything they had to talk about was spoken yesterday after all. But it was news to Edward that Juniper had woken up from her coma.

"That's a relief. I was worried about both of you because of it, ya know." Edward said as he chewed on some toast, followed by a fork full of scrambled eggs.

"I know Ed. I'm sorry for making you worry like that. I just didn't know what to do, or how to be." Alphonse said with a sigh as he looked down into the dark brown liquid of his coffee.

"You've got nothing you need to apologize for Al. You're my brother, and I'll always worry about you." He replied as he looked up at his younger brother, who offered an appreciative smile at the comment. "Oh by the way…"

A folded up newspaper was slid across the dining table to Alphonse who picked it up and unfurled it. He was immediately drawn to the front news article. It was about the events that happened around the bank robbery.

"I managed to get my hands on a copy of that for you. It seems like the media doesn't know Juniper is actually State Alchemist yet." Edward muttered before sipping at his coffee.

Alphonse read over the article and sure enough, he realized that where it mentioned Juniper, she had been classed as a normal unnamed citizen; not as a State Alchemist or even a soldier, who had been briefly held hostage then critically injured. It also spoke of the identities of the two criminal alchemists that had been apprehended, but there was no mention of Jagger at all, only that a third unidentified assailant had escaped into the night. Another paper was slid forward from Edward, and Alphonse picked it up.

"Pagsh fyff.." Edward said as he shoveled a ridiculous mouthful of food into his mouth. It earned him a cocked eyebrow from Alphonse, who guessed he had meant to say 'page five'.

He turned to the page and found a smaller article that simply explained that the apprehended criminal alchemists would remain in high security prison while the investigations were ongoing, and that they had been uncooperative throughout the process thus far. Alphonse huffed with frustration as he folded then returned the paper to the table. He ran his fingers through his golden locks that were still slightly damp from his shower.

"I think I need to go speak with Mustang and find out what's going on." Alphonse said as he rose from his chair. "I'm going back to the hospital after leaving Central Command. Did you want to come?"

Edward polished off the rest of his food then stood, gathering the dishes on the table. "I'll clean up here at meet you at the hospital, Al."

Alphonse quickly walked into his bedroom to retrieve his pocket watch. He attached it to his belt then slid it into the pocket of his slacks. Usually he would have it pinned the mid-section of a vest he wore and tucked into one of the pockets, but today was going to be warm so he had opted not to wear one, along with ditching his usual tie.

"Thanks Brother, I'll see you there. I'll tell the General you said hello." Alphonse said with a smile as he headed for the door. Before leaving, he saw Edward's light scowl.

"Don't you dare! He'll send you back with some smartass remark that's cracking on about either my height or my temper as usual. Either way, he can go suck it." He grumbled.

Alphonse simply laughed and closed the door behind him.

* * *

"Alphonse?"

Roy was a little shocked when Alphonse came through the office doors. The young man appeared to have the same happy glint in his golden eyes once again, and he knew that some good news was here at last.

"Good morning Sir. Everyone." He acknowledged everyone with a nod and friendly smile before turning back to Roy. "Juniper is awake."

Alphonse could see everyone, especially Roy and Riza, visibly relax and let out relived sighs.

"She's getting examined this morning, so I'm not sure exactly what kind of state she's in, mentally or physically. But she's talking and walking again, and doesn't seem to be in any pain aside from a sore throat I presume."

"That's understandable." Riza said softly, knowing all too well what Juniper must be feeling like, having experienced the same thing years ago on The Promised Day.

"I know it's probably too soon to say this, but we need to speak with her about what happened once she's fully recovered and ready. She obviously had a traumatic experience with those men in the past, particularly Jagger. We need as much information as we can get, because Jagger's comrades don't seem to be planning on giving anything away any time soon. We're back to chasing our tails." Roy grumbled at his final sentence, clearly frustrated.

"Actually, there's something I found this morning that was a bit odd, and I wanted to ask you about it. Today was the first time I read the newspaper from the day after the bank robbery. Was there a reason Juniper was classed as a citizen, and not a State Alchemist?" Alphonse asked as he sat down on a chair in front of Roy's desk.

Roy leaned back in his own chair, leaning his elbow on one of the armrests. "Yes, for two reasons actually. One is obvious; she was not in uniform that night, nor was she taking orders. She acted as an individual in a spectator's point of view even though we that knew her, knows she's anything but a regular citizen. The other, is because I made sure her State certification remained on the down low from the media at the Fuhrer's request. With everything that's going on lately, the last thing we need is the poor girl getting harassed by journalist just because she's a female State Alchemist. I mean that in the most non-sexist way I can by the way."

It made more sense now, and Alphonse could understand the reasons.

"It might even work to our advantage once she's strong enough to return. But for now, I want her to focus on making a full recovery." Roy added as he leaned forward over his desk, picking up a pen and began writing.

"And me, Sir?"

"Continue to ensure Juniper's safety until she's in full health again, but come back and report on a regular basis of her progress. There's honestly not much else that can be done here for the time being." He said as he continued writing. He stopped, and with a quick flourish of his signature on the bottom half of the paper, he folded it and slipped it into an envelope before passing it to Alphonse. "Make sure she gets that once her examination has concluded."

"Yes Sir. I'll call later on and inform you of her prognosis." Alphonse said with a firm nod and final smile before turning to leave. Before he reached the doors, Roy called out to him.

"Oh and Alphonse..."

Gold eyes turned back to look at obsidian ones.

"Don't ever… _ever_ , scare us with your grief stricken behavior again. I blame you as well as Juniper for my lack of sleep lately." He said lightheartedly. "It's good to see the old flame back in those Elric eyes of yours."

Alphonse couldn't help the genial smile on his face as he finally turned to leave. Roy was truly a good commander and friend.

"I think you're getting soft, Roy." Riza said in a hushed tone to the raven haired man. Only he would hear it.

He simply shrugged with a smile. "Maybe I am. We've watched the Elric brothers grow into fine young men that I can happily say I'm proud of. Sometimes you can't help who you get attached to, especially when you've been through so much together." He spoke softly, his dark gaze shifting up to look at her with his final words. His expression; sentimental and loving.

Riza turned her face away, her cheeks a soft shade of pink that only he would know was there.


	14. The Lilac Rose

**Disclaimer:** I do not own FMA or any of the characters. They belong to Arakawa-Senpai~ I only own my OC's, my made up towns/cities/countries/other misc characters and this fanfiction.

 **Author's Note:** Hey there everyone~! Just wanted to quickly remind you that this fanfic is now also being posted on ArchiveOfOurOwn .org. All the chapters have been **revised** and posted there as a better version of the story on here, since it's SO much easier to go back and fix mistakes there as well as add links and artwork for the story. I will still continue posting chapters here of course~! This version will be **without** a lemon, the other one **will** have lemons.

I welcome CONSTRUCTIVE criticism, so please review somewhat kindly. Also feel free to PM me for any questions/queries about this story, or even just to say hello :3

* * *

 **Chapter:** The Lilac Rose

 **Summary:** _'Receive ten, and give back eleven.'_

* * *

Juniper's eyes flickered rapidly as her sight readjusted to the room after having Dr Knox shine a small torch in her eyes. The young doctor finished checking over her vitals before he began unraveling the bandage around her neck.

"I'm just going to see how the wound is healing now Miss Fox. Do tell me of any pain you experience." He said as he worked. As the final wrappings of the bandage pulled away, he let out a barely audible gasp, which alerted Juniper instantly.

"What? What is it?" She couldn't help the rushed worried tone as her eyes widened slightly.

"Oh, I'm sorry for startling you Miss, it's just that your wound… It's completely healed. There's not even a scar, just the stitches." He said as he inspected it further, gently prodding at where the gash once was. "There's no pain here at all?"

"No, it feels perfectly fine."

"This is wonderful. I wonder if…" He drifted off in thought. He somewhat suspected the reason for the fast healing, as all the signs were obvious. A wound as big as it had been would have left a decently sized scar, but there was nothing there now. "I'll remove the stitches now if you are comfortable enough."

Juniper nodded in response, and Dr Knox began delicately cutting and removing the stitches one by one, discarding them in a metal tin. She idly counted them in her head. The gash must've been a lot bigger than she first presumed, because there was well over thirty stitches that were removed. Once Dr Knox finished, there was only a few barely noticeable marks on her neck where the stitches were once embedded in her flesh, and these would completely disappear in time. He started to remove his latex gloves when a nurse knocked on the door and entered.

"Dr Knox, Nurse Inez requires your attendance in room 304 at your earliest convenience. Also Miss Fox, you have a visitor, shall I let them in?"

"Inform her I'm heading over there now." Dr Knox replied.

Juniper had simply smiled and nodded her head at the nurse, who smiled back before leaving with the young doctor following her out. After they left, a young man walked into the room with a wide grin. Juniper instantly recognized him, and was fairly surprised to see him here.

"Edward?"

"Heya Juniper. Long time, no see eh?" He said as he closed the door behind him and shuffled into the room towards her.

"Heh… I'll say. What are you doing here?" She folded her hands, one over the other, in her lap as she watched him languidly throw himself down into the chair at her bedside.

"Well, Al wouldn't want me saying this, but I came here after getting a phone call from the General who told me that Al hasn't been the same since an incident that occurred two weeks ago. So I came to see what I could do to help him, but that's when I found out that it was you who had been injured, so I extended my stay for a few more days. Until I got here, I had no idea that you two knew each other, though I guess it was only a matter of time." He said with a soft chuckle.

Juniper cast her gaze down. The feeling of guilt began to snake its way up from the pit of her stomach, threatening to grip her tightly and strangle her heart.

"Alphonse suffered… because of me?" She stated in a soft, wavering voice. Her past problems not only haunted her, but now they had begun to make others suffer without an explanation from her. Her thoughts were roughly halted.

"Hey! Don't even think about feeling guilty for Alphonse. What happened was out of your control." Edward snapped harshly, but there was a hint of familiarity. It may have been a year or two since he had last spoken to Juniper, and four since he had last seen her, but she was still a friend. He hated when anyone he cared about tried blaming themselves for something they didn't do, or worse, wallow in their self-pity. He wasn't having any of it now.

"Listen Juniper… no one is expecting you to explain why you did the things you did that night. At least not until you feel like you are ready." He paused for a moment before continuing. "You know… you're not the only one who has had to deal with a bit of PTSD. Both Al and I suffered from it when we returned home, and we weren't expecting it at all. No matter how strong you are, even little things like dreams can trigger it sometimes. Seeing that person again would have been understandably upsetting for you, let alone the things he did. What's important is surrounding yourself with people that you care about that will be your support when you need it. You've got your family at home, Izumi, Al, Winry and I as well. Don't forget it." Edward spoke softly, understanding completely what she would be feeling. It was one of those extremely rare tender moments he was capable at having.

Juniper lifted her gaze back up to his, seeing the amount of emotion in them. She realized that it was certainly an Elric trait to be so expressive through a simple golden gaze. She exhaled softly as his words sunk in. He certainly had a point. It was okay to feel weak every now and then, but blaming herself wasn't going to get her anywhere.

"Thanks Ed. It truly means a lot. I guess all I needed was that little kick in the ass to remind me of that." She paused with a smile, which grew into a humored grin. "Since when did you get so flowery with words?" She teased.

This made Edward chuckle and shrug. "Heh… People are always learning and growing, I suppose."

Juniper snickered "If an inch counts as growing, sure."

"Hey! I'm plenty tall! You're a tiny shrimp compared to me." He enjoyed calling her short just a little too much, considering she was only 5'3 and he was at least 6 ft now.

"I wasn't talking about your height." She makes a gesture, pointing towards her own stomach, which makes him grumble.

"Al's been telling you that I'm fat hasn't he?!"

"He doesn't have to tell me, I can see it for myself." She was trying to fight of the laughter.

Edward shakes a fist at nothing in particular as an angry vein pops from his temple. "I'll show him what a fat lip looks like! Anyway it's not fat..." He pauses as he momentarily thinks. "…it's Dad muscle." He says with a firm nod and he folds his arms over his chest with a huff.

"More like _'Dad flab'_." Juniper clutches her stomach as she laughs loudly. No matter how old he got, she figured that Edward was the type of man that would always be hypersensitive about almost anything.

Once her laughter died down and he had stopped pouting, she began asking him about how the past year or so had been for him. She had stayed in contact with Winry through letters more than Edward, so she knew of major things like their children.

"Actually… hang on-…" Edward muttered as he fumbled for his wallet in his pants. Once it was free, he tugged a photo from it and passed it to her. Her eyes lit up and sparkled with adoration of the beautiful little family.

"Oh Edward they're adorable. Thomas is so big now! Oh and little Sarah is as cute as a button." She swooned. "You're so lucky, you know. Do you and Winry plan on any having more?"

The question made his cheeks pink slightly as he rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish, but bright smile on his face. "I sure hope so. Well I'd like to, but then again I'm not the one doing the nine months hard work." He remembered he had almost lost his hands when his son was arriving, and had been pelted with wrenches on his daughter's arrival. But to him, it was worth every cut, bruise and lump.

"Being a Dad is great, but I gotta admit, I can't wait to be an Uncle either when the time comes. But I guess that's still ahead in the future. You probably think it's weird for me to feel like that, huh?" He looked up at her with his trademark crooked smile.

She shook her head. "No not at all. I mean, I wouldn't know what it's like, but I can imagine that the idea of having a growing family is exciting. Especially since you seem to want your brother to experience everything you have one day too. I'm sure my own brother will be like you once he has a family of his own, and I'll probably never hear the end of it from Da too." She giggled softly, imagining just how much her father would probably nag her and Dan to go find love and start a family so he could have grandchildren. She was sure that it wouldn't be long until Dan found someone he could settle down with, considering he never much left Kadayr unless it was to make deliveries. But as for herself, now that she was a State Alchemist, she wasn't so sure.

Edward let out a contented hum as he leaned back in his chair, folding his hands over his belly and the two sat in comfortable silence, each in their own thoughts. Juniper's mind went back to earlier that morning as well as what she could remember of last night.

 _'I remember waking and seeing him there… According to the nurse, he's not left my side at all these past two weeks. Have I really caused him so much grief? None of this would've happened if I wasn't so damn impulsive… Izumi would have beaten me senseless for my actions.'_ She cringed slightly. _'I'd deserve it though… He seemed so relieved when I woke up, and he was sweet and attentive when he helped me with the ice, despite the awkwardness. Oh, but he broke my heart with how much he blamed himself for what happened, and the tears he had shed. It wasn't his fault at all; I wanted to do whatever I could to take that guilt he felt away… Even while he was hurting, he still thought of my well-being. Not to mention he happily obliged my request to… to…'_ She began to recall the moment when she had asked him to stay by her side during the night… in the bed together.

Feeling her cheeks growing hot, she tried to shake her thoughts from her head only to remember one more thing.

 _'W-We nearly… Oh fuck! We nearly kissed!'_ Her body flinched at the memory and her face only grew a more vivid crimson.

Edward, who had been looking at Juniper and was about to ask about the now non-existent scar on her neck, noticed the sudden movement and her reddening face. He stared at her blankly then raised a questioning brow. "Juniper?"

 _'What would have happened if that did happen though…?'_ Her mind still drifting.

"Juniper?!" Edward said a little louder, catching her attention and stunned expression.

"I'm sorry, did you say something?" She took calming breathes to settle her heart, which had begun pounding hard against her chest.

"No, but your face is red and you look a little shocked about something."

"Oh! I umm… I… was just thinking about what happened last night when I woke up… Uh… The nurse. She wouldn't let me shower in private because my legs were still wobbly… heh.." She chuckled nervously, hoping he'd buy it.

Luckily for her, Edward was none the wiser, despite now being married with two children. He was still as oblivious as ever when it came to this sort of thing, and it worked in her favor this time.

"Ah! Yeah I can see how that'd be embarrassing for you. At least it was a female nurse, right?" He joked, and she giggled.

"By the way, I noticed your wound…"

* * *

Alphonse was making his way through the streets of Central, heading over to the hospital now as he had planned. His hands were in his pockets, trying not to fumble with Mustang's letter for Juniper too much as he pondered about what it contained. Some mission orders or questions about the bank incident perhaps? He wouldn't pry unless she chose to tell him.

As he walked, an old lady pushing a little flower cart had stopped not too far ahead of him as she made a sale. He wondered if Juniper liked flowers, and what kind was her favorite. There hadn't been any her in hospital room, just a small vase that sat on the bedside table; painfully empty.

When Alphonse had left Central Command, the memory of their lips almost touching in the night came back to him again, and he almost decided to turn around and go back home instead so he could bury himself in alchemy books to forever hide his embarrassment. But Alphonse wasn't the spineless sort who would run away from anything like that; unlike Edward. Perhaps buying her flowers would come as a little distraction from that. Being lost in thought again, Alphonse didn't realize that he had stopped walking, and the old lady had rolled her cart up to him.

She stood there looking at the young man's face before smiling softly. "Hello young man. Are you feeling okay there son?"

Alphonse blinked, being shaken from his stupor. "Oh. Yeah I'm okay madam. I'm sorry." He bowed his head apologetically.

The old lady knew what was going on in the man's head, she'd seen it so many times before in other people, but she spoke anyway. "You look a little dazed there. Someone special on the mind I see?" It wasn't her way to weasel a sale out of him, but more for her own enjoyment.

Alphonse's cheeks tinted pink as he couldn't help the smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth. He was an awful liar, so he didn't bother. "Y-Yeah…"

The woman looked around her for a moment before looking back up at him. "You're going to see them in the hospital then, hm?"

He looked at her incredulously. "H-How did you-."

"Know? My boy, my best business is done on this street for that very reason."

She was a witty old lady. Alphonse chuckled. "I suppose that makes sense."

"So…" She began as she turned to face her cart, her hand hovering and sorting through the various species and colors of flowers she had. "Did you know that flowers have a language of their own?"

"Uhh… Sort of. You mean like how roses speak of love right?"

"Yes, but each color also has its own special meaning, son. _Especially_ in roses." She paused, looking at his face as she continued. "Like the cliché of a rose; a red one represents passionate love, while the white rose signifies purity and innocence, and the yellow… friendship and the promise of a new beginning." She gauged his face carefully. "Ah, but the rose most overlooked…" She leans over her cart and from a hidden place amongst the flowers; she pulls out a single rose with a long green stem and passes it to him. "…is the one that speaks of love at first sight." She finished with a bright and all-knowing grin.

Alphonse was a little perplexed to say the least. How in the world could this little old woman know? He looked down at the flower in his hand. It wasn't flashy or too fancy, but seemingly sweet and innocent enough. The delicate lilac colored petals of the rose curled in on each other perfectly. He was about to speak before the woman spoke first.

"Go on now son. This one is on me. I've been doing this for many decades now, and you're not the first love-struck lad I've come across in my time you know. It's your peculiar eyes too, they just speak volumes." She chuckled softly as she got behind her cart and began to move away.

Alphonse spun around and called out to her. "Thank you!" He watched her wave a hand before spinning around and briskly walking the rest of the way to the hospital with a thumping heart.

* * *

"…and he learnt how to do that in _Xing_?!" Juniper exclaimed.

Edward beamed somewhat proudly. "Yep! Al really took great interest in alkahestry before The Promise Day. When his body was strong enough again, he went to Xing for a few years to study it further. He's gotten quite good at it actually."

"That's… impressive. I've heard of alkahestry before and kind of know how it differs from alchemy, but I had no idea it was capable of healing to that extent. This would have taken a lot of energy…" She trailed off as her hand moved up to brush across her neck, feeling no mark or tenderness there.

"Winry burnt her hand badly on some hot metal one day, and the scarring and blistering was too painful for her to continue working. So Al offered to use alkahestry and we got to witness it ourselves. When he was done, it looked as if nothing had ever happened to her hand. It was pretty amazing." Edward said as he recalled the memory. "From what Mustang told me about the extent of your injury over the phone, he was amazed that you didn't bleed out before getting to the hospital in time. I wouldn't be surprised if Alphonse had managed to heal it enough to prevent that from happening, you know."

 _'…He saved my life...?'_ Juniper tested the possibility in her mind, and it overwhelmed her with emotion. Tears slowly beaded in the corner of her eyes. She owed him her life, and she felt that nothing she could do would ever be enough to repay it.

"Oh, and speak of the devil." Edward chimed with a pert grin.

"Hey, I'm back."

Juniper was jolted from her deep thoughts at the sound of Alphonse's voice entering the room. Her eyes were wide and glassy with tears as they locked with his joyful gold ones when he walked in. They held each other's gaze for an extensive moment, trying to gauge what the other was thinking. Alphonse noticed the moisture in her hazel eyes and became concerned.

"Is everything alright?" He asked her, then looked to his brother for a hint. Edward had only realized Juniper's teary expression, and was somewhat baffled as he shrugged silently.

Quicker than either of them realized, Juniper had thrown the blankets off of her body and scrambled off the bed in a flurry of swift movement. In a few quick unsteady strides, she was face to face with Alphonse, throwing her arms around him and pulling him into a tight embrace. He was shocked; his eyes widening and face turning beet red as all the functionality of his mind flew away. In the dazed state, he had loosened his grip on the rose and it dropped lightly onto the floor with a gentle bounce. Edward appeared to be having a similar reaction as he tried to process what he was witnessing.

"Ju-Juniper?" Alphonse's voice wavered slightly. "Is everything okay?"

He felt her chest heave slightly against his own as her body trembled. She was crying.

Unbeknownst to them, Edward had discreetly left the room. He knew they'd need a moment, and was more than willing to give them that. After all, he had yet to make a phone call home.

Alphonse pressed her again, asking if she was okay, but only heard quiet sobs. He placed his hands on her shoulders and gently moved her back a little so he could look into her eyes. She didn't exactly look sad, but definitely overwhelmed.

"Please tell me what's making you like this…" He said soothingly as he peered down at her.

Juniper looked down towards his chest in front of her as she took a deep, shuddering breathe before speaking softly. "You... I mean, I just realized that you… used alkahestry on my… my wound…"

Alphonse briefly noticed as she spoke that she no longer wore the bandage, and her neck was completely healed and free from scars or stitches. He was pleased that he was able to heal such an extensive wound.

"…I probably wouldn't have made it to the hospital without bleeding to death if you hadn't of helped me. I'm not entirely sure how… but a part of me feels like you also helped me to wake up too." She lifted her gazed to meet his, staring at him in wonder. "I owe you my life, and it hurts that I can't even begin to think of what I can do to make it up to you; to thank you."

He smiled affectionately. "There are only two things you could do for me Juniper."

"Yes?" She watched him expectantly.

He bent down and picked up the lilac rose that had fallen to the floor. As he straightened back up, he blushed and swallowed the tiny nervous lump in his throat. "The first thing, would be accepting this…" He held it out to her and she gingerly took it, bright pink staining her cheeks as she smiled softly at his sweet gesture.

"I-It's beautiful…"

 _'Like you.'_ He was elated.

"And the second thing?" She asked somewhat shyly.

"Keep living and moving forward with each day." He said, and watched as her smile brightened.

"With an amazing person like you as my friend by my side, that's easy to do." She reached up and wrapped her arms around him once again, and this time he reciprocated. They held each other close, feeling their hearts almost beating in sync once again.

 _'Receive ten, and give back eleven.'_ Alphonse closed his eyes, breathing in her sweet scent of vanilla, pear and honeysuckle for the first time, binding it to his memory. He cherished this moment for as long as he could, unknowing that Juniper was doing the same.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Not to sappyright? It is a fluffy romance after all. I'm just self-conscious since this is my first fanfic I think...

Please review~!


	15. Touching Base

**Disclaimer:** I do not own FMA or any of the characters. They belong to Arakawa-Senpai~ I only own my OC's, my made up towns/cities/countries/other misc characters and this fanfiction.

 **Author's Note:** Hey there everyone~! This chapter is way overdue, for many major reasons I assure you. As we all know... Life. Just wanted to also quickly remind you that this fanfic is now also being posted on ArchiveOfOurOwn .org. All the chapters have been **revised** and posted there as a better version of the story on here, since it's SO much easier to go back and fix mistakes there as well as add links and artwork for the story. I will still continue posting chapters here of course~! This version will be **without** a lemon, the other one **will** have lemons.

I want to thank all the people that have faved or started following this story since my last post. It makes me so happy to see that, although I have neglected the story a little (which I shall try to prevent), that people are still enjoying it. So thank you very VERY much for the support~!

Please please PLEASE review... I'm actually hating this chapter and just need a kick in the ass with some confidence boosting encouragement. No flames or nasties though x3

* * *

 **Chapter:** Touching Base

 **Summary:** When there's time on your hands, connect with those you hold dear…

* * *

Mornings… They can be so eventful can't they? So much can happen that they seem to just breeze by, and before you know it, it's gone all too soon. This was the case for Alphonse, Juniper and Edward. The rest of their morning had been spent conversing and story-telling, mostly of wonderful memories and happy times. Edward and Alphonse asked Juniper about her use of archery; which was almost unheard of in Amestris, as well as how it came about to be paired with her water and air alchemy.

"Well, when I was barely three years old, my Da had been telling me all sorts of stories about my Ma, so that I knew as much about who she was as I could. She was quite the well-travelled adventurer to say the least. One night when Da put me to bed, he placed her bow on my lap and told me the most wonderful tale about it…" She stared of into the distance with a melancholic, yet fond expression as she told them the story.

* * *

 _Eighteen years ago…_

"Daddy, I can't go to sleep with a big funny stick on my bed." Juniper said as she giggled loudly and beamed up at her father, Dorian, who chuckled softly and ruffled the young girl's long brown hair. He sat down on the edge of her bed and took the 'stick' from her lap and proceeded to show it to her properly.

"Oh my silly girl… This isn't a stick, this is a bow that once belonged to your Mother. It's a weapon that you use to fire arrows like this out of it." He lifted a very blunt, round tipped arrow and held it in front of her. He watched with amusement as her curious hazel eyes widened and her tiny fingers touched the arrow gingerly.

"But weapon's hurt people Daddy. Mummy didn't hurt people did she?" A sad pout formed on her lips as she became concerned and worrisome.

"No, she never hurt good people, only the bad people that tried to hurt her or others. But even then, that very rarely happened. Your Ma simply enjoyed it as a hobby more than anything, and she used to go hunting with it too."

"Hunting… Like what Big Brother does when he helps Mr O'Shea? So we can have stuff to eat?"

"Yes that's right. Your Ma was a very good hunter too. This was the bow she would use…" He paused. "She made it herself, you know."

Juniper gasped dramatically. "Really?! She make-ed this?"

"Made." He corrected with a warm smile.

"Ma-Made…" Her little brow furrowed and she bit her lip as she concentrated on pronouncing it properly. She was rewarded with a gentle pat on the head.

"Yes, she made it all by herself. I think she said she was about nine or ten, so she was Dan's age when she crafted it. She used the wood of a yew tree, and carved it out herself." Dorian ran his only remaining hand across it, his fingers rubbing over the decorated Celtic carvings across its limbs. Most of the markings resembled water drops and waves. He stopped at the marking of a bird; a falcon, just above the hand grip. "This was the last thing she carved on it, just before you were born actually. She used to say 'If this little one is a girl, she'll forever go where the wind blows, and we're going to watch her soar to great heights.'."

Dorian looked to his daughter. Although talking about his late wife saddened him terribly, he would always look at Juniper, and see so much of his wife, Joselyn, in her.

Juniper was looking down at the bow, her bottom lip quivering as she tried to hold back the tears. She thought it was unfair that she didn't have a mother like other kids in town do, but her father and brother were there for her as she grew, and she knew she'd never be alone. Juniper felt her father's warm hand cup her small cheek and raise her head up to look at him.

"No tears now, my brave Baby Bird…" He moved his hand from her face and grabbed one of her hands, where he then picked it up and placed it on the bow, curling her tiny fingers around it beneath his. "Before she died, she told me that she wanted you to have this, and to make it your own whether you decided to use it or not. It made a lot of memories for her, and she would have wanted you to make your own with it too."

Juniper gave an enthusiastic, but slow nod. She rubbed her small hands over the large weapon. "Thank you Daddy. Can I start using it tomorrow?"

Her father let out a bellowing chuckle as leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. He plucked the bow from her lap then placed it atop a set of drawers and out of her easy reach. "You're still too small, Juniper. If you grow big and strong, and be a good girl, then I'll start teaching you when you turn four. Okay?"

"Okay Daddy."

"Goodnight Baby Bird. Love you till-."

"Till infinity runs out." She finished with a giggle as she settled into her bed while her father left the room, closing her bedroom door.

Juniper rolled over and stared up at the photo of Joselyn on the bedside table. She smiled at it then closed her eyes. "Thank you Mummy…I love you."

* * *

"…and so that's how the bow came about. As for the alchemic elements; I chose them because I've always felt that I had a deep connection with water and the wind. Iraylia is an island country after all, with a lot of wide open spaces for gusty breezes. Not to mention being surrounded by the ocean and the near constant drizzle of rain there. I just associate with them really well because it's always been a part of my life I suppose. To be honest, I've not really given it much thought as to why I chose them up until now, either." She chuckled. "Not even Teacher asked me why." She stopped talking, then her brow furrowed as she tilted her head to the side when she noticed the deep concentration on the brothers faces. "Are… you two okay?"

Edward jolted slightly as he shook his head, and Alphonse just blinked rapidly as they were both shaken from their stupor after listening intently.

"Ah, yeah, sorry…" Edward began. "It was just such a…"

"A sweet and beautiful story!" Alphonse was dramatic, being the one with a softer heart and the easily triggered emotional state. It made Edward roll his eyes.

"Heh… I guess?" Juniper sweat-dropped and laughed it off as nothing. Although it was sweet, she found his reaction quite comical.

Just before silence could settle, a very loud grumble echoed in the room. Edward doubled over and clutched his stomach, blushing slightly as he looked at Alphonse and Juniper with a crooked grin. Alphonse let out an exasperated sigh and stood up from his chair.

"I knew it wouldn't be long till your stomach or your mouth started complaining, it is lunchtime after all." He said flatly. "You better go get yourself something to eat Brother."

"And you're going with him too, aren't you Alphonse?"

Juniper's voice had sounded extra sugary as she smirked at him with an inquisitively raised brow. Her question was actually a forceful statement, and she was going to ensure that he left the room to have lunch with his brother. She didn't need all this coddling after all.

Alphonse understood that this conversation was not going to be up for debate, and he conceded with a gentle smile and defeated sigh. "Yes, I'm going with him." He was glad he agreed, because he was rewarded with her brightest smile, making his heart melt. He knew he was slowly becoming a little bit of a pushover for her.

The Elric brothers were about to leave when Edward halted in his tracks. "Oh, hang on a sec."

Edward quickly walked over to Juniper and leaned in close to her ear, whispering to her quietly. She listened attentively without much expression to give away a hint to Alphonse, who now stood by the door, confused.

"Al probably hasn't told you yet, but it's his birthday tomorrow. Is there anything you'd want me to get for him on your behalf?"

She leans up to his ear and whispers back. "No, I wasn't aware. He probably wasn't going to tell me either… that cheeky bastard." Edward snickered as she continued. "But I already have something I can give to him. I have it back at my apartment. I plan on getting discharged from here today, hopefully while you both are out. So try and stall him back at his place and I'll meet you both there."

Edward nods affirmatively and smirks as he turns to leave, seeing a suspicious look on his younger brother's face. "Right, well we're off then."

"Have fun you two." Juniper smiles softly and waves to them as they disappear through the door. Once she was sure they had left, she reached over to the bedside table and grabbed the white envelope that had yet to be opened. She gently tore it open with her little finger then slid the letter out of its confinement. Unfolding it, she began to read;

 _Major Juniper Fox,_

 _Firstly, allow me to say on behalf of everyone in the office that we are very relieved to hear you are conscious and doing well. It was distressing for everyone, especially for you as I can imagine, over what happened at the Central Bank two weeks prior._

 _I understand your reluctance to enlighten me of why you reacted the way you did, but any insignificant fraction of information can be useful. So I ask that you seriously consider talking with me, or with whomever you feel comfortable with about this. Understand that, although I cannot really condone your impulsive actions that night, it was what enabled us to apprehend two of the offenders. So for that, I am very grateful and pleased with your efforts. Just please refrain from putting yourself in harm's way again in the future._

 _I would like for you to return as soon as your doctor has signed you off as being fit enough for duty, as you are a key part for this investigation. We can't afford to let it slip from our hands now that we're making some ground on this for the first time in months._

 _Wishing you a swift recovery,_

 _General Roy Mustang & the team._

Juniper snorted with amusement. She wondered if every team in the military were so… thoughtful and attentive to its members. She folded the letter and returned it to the envelope, placing it on the table again as she turned her legs out of bed and stood. Slipping on the slippers and wrapping her shoulders with a robe, and shuffled her way out of the room to go find the nurse.

* * *

"You look like you're just about ready to leave, Miss." Nurse Inez said cheerfully as Juniper approached the nurse's desk.

"I am. Actually, I was wondering if my request for an early discharge had been approved by Dr Knox."

"I just finished signing the paperwork for it, Miss Fox." Dr Knox's voice came from behind her as he passed a clipboard over to the nurse. He turned and smiled at Juniper. "After your examination this morning, I think you're as healthy as a young woman should be, so you're free to leave today whenever you like. If you have any nausea or start to feel unusual in any way, please call as soon as you can. Although I still want you to take a week off before returning to duty, so I'll write up the letter for you to give to your superior."

Juniper let out a dramatic sigh of relief. "Oh wonderful! Thank you so much Dr Knox, and thank you Ma'am, for taking care of me too." She beamed at them both as they told her that it was merely their job to do so, and that she needn't thank them.

"How do you plan on getting home Miss?" The nurse inquired.

"I'm going to make a phone call now. I'll have someone come get me and take me home." She murmured and the nurse nodded. Juniper turned and made her way to one of the telephones nearby and dialled.

* * *

The delicate sound of jingling bangles tinkled softly as Juniper slipped on her silver and gold alchemic bracelets that had been returned to her by the nurse who had been keeping them safe. With that, she was fully dressed and ready to leave the hospital. She turned and smiled at Riza, whom she had called and requested to fetch her some clothes from her apartment before coming to collect her. Riza was only more than happy to oblige.

"You all set to go?" Riza said with a smile.

Juniper nodded. "Mm-hmm!"

They began to walk out of the room before Juniper halted dead in her tracks with a soft gasp. "Oh wait! I did forget something."

She turned back towards the bed and walked over to the bedside table. Gently plucking the lilac rose from the vase there, she turned back to Riza with a sheepish grin. "Now we can go."

The blonde woman gave Juniper an all knowing look as they proceeded out of the hospital. "That's a very lovely rose." She watched with amusement as Juniper's cheeks bristled with a hint of pink. "From Alphonse?"

Juniper simply nodded with a soft smile.

Riza chuckled softly. "Well that explains it."

Juniper raised a brow and looked to Riza, waiting for her elaboration, but it never came. She shrugged it off for now as they climbed into the vehicle Riza had waiting in front of the hospital. "Riza, would it be too much trouble to make a few detours? I need to fetch some money first, then I need to go to one of the nearest market streets to get a few things."

Riza started the car and drove them down the street. "Yeah of course. I've got no other urgent tasks needing my attention right now anyway, so I don't mind. Oh, that reminds me." She reaches into a pocket in her uniform and pulls out Juniper's State pocket watch. "I figured you might need it, I'm glad I thought to pick it up when I was at your place earlier."

"Ah! Thank you. You're always one step ahead huh?" Juniper replied with a light chuckle.

"It helps. Especially when your commanding officer is a slacker with paperwork." She deadpanned, leaving the pair in fits of laughter as they made their way through Central's lunchtime traffic.

* * *

After putting away the few groceries she purchased at the market and seeing Riza off, Juniper went straight to making phone calls. The first; her father Dorian and her brother Dan.

 _"Hello, Fox Estate Brewery & Inn, Dorian speaking."_ A deep voice with a heavy accent crackled through the receiver.

"Da, It's Juniper. I'm home from the hospital." She said, already swallowing the lump of tears in her throat as there was a long silence on the other end of the phone.

 _"Oh Juniper… My Baby Bird…"_ Dorian croaked, his voice dripping with emotion and relief.

"I'm fine now Da. My wound has healed well and I can return to work in a week. I'll come home for a visit as soon as I can, I promise." Juniper knew her father would want her to come home to visit sooner rather than later. She heard him let out a deep sigh.

 _"Alright… As long as you are okay, I'll try and be patient then. I know you're strong, but your old man still worries, is all."_

Juniper giggled. "Yes I know. But you needn't worry too much. I have great friends who have been watching out for me this whole time. It was actually Colonel Elric that had helped with my wound a lot, which is why I recovered so quickly."

Dorian grunted. _"Yeah… Your brother has told me alllllll about him. He sounds just wonderful, this 'knight in shining armor' he said."_ His voice rung with sarcasm, that Juniper couldn't help but roll her eyes and silently chuckle at. For a man who wanted her to settle down and find a husband, her father sure has a funny and rather hypercritical opinion on any boy who has ever taken close to her. Maybe it was just a fatherly thing for him to do. On the other hand, her older brother was in for an earful next time she saw him.

"Anyway, I must go for now Da. I have a few more phone calls to make."

 _"Be sure to give Izumi a call as well. Dan said she was asking about you when he went to pick up an order from her a few days ago."_

"I will. I'll be in touch again soon."

After finishing her call with her father, Juniper made a quick call to Izumi. She was scolded for her foolishness, praised for her initiative and was overall pleased that she brought her teacher some relief, so she didn't mind first being chewed out. It was expected as much. There was just one final call to make.

 _"Elric & Rockbell Automail."_

 _'Now that's just adorable.'_ Juniper briefly mused. "Hello Win, its Juniper."

Winry squeaked with joy. _"Juni! I was wondering when I was going to hear from you again. Ed told me you were well and on the mend earlier this morning. I'm so relieved."_

Juniper snickered at Winry's enthusiastic tone. "Yeah, and it's all thanks to Alphonse and his alkahestry too. I'd still be in hospital or worse if it weren't for him."

 _"That's Al for you, ever the dependable one. I'm just glad everything turned out okay."_

"Speaking of which; since it's his birthday tomorrow, what kind of cake does he like? I figured I bake one for him, for his birthday as well as to thank him for all he's done for me."

She heard Winry snicker softly. It was the same kind that she'd been hearing from Edward and Riza, and she was beginning to realise why, causing her cheeks to heat slightly. Was the charge of attraction between the two alchemists really that palpable and obvious?

 _"Say no more, Juni. I have a few ideas to throw your way, so have a pen ready."_ Winry said with mirth, and a hint of mischievousness which caused Juniper laugh out loudly as she readied her fountain pen on a notepad.

"Fire away!"

* * *

After a lengthy conversation with Winry was done, an apple pie baked and a refreshing shower, it was 3pm. Juniper finished slicing up the apple pie that now sat inside a wicker basket. She had gotten the recipe from Winry years ago and it had become a favourite treat in her family. She wasn't surprised that it was the Elric brother's favourite too, so she baked one in order to take with her. She stopped and second guessed her current outfit; a sleeveless navy shirt and black shorts with her hair up in a messy bun. It had become a little hotter than expected today, so she had dressed for comfort. But the short length of her shorts had her self-conscious rethinking the comfort idea.

 _'Wait a minute, when the hell have I ever cared about what I wore in the summer?! Oh fuck it, I don't care!'_ She huffed out softly, slipped on her sandals, picked up her wicker basket and a certain book and promptly left before she changed her mind.

* * *

"Brother, I'd like to get back to the hospital sometime soon. It's been hours." Alphonse groaned softly.

Edward, who was laying on his back on one of the sofas in the lounge, simply waved his hand lazily as he scanned through an alchemy book and spoke with disinterest. "Yeah yeah… soon alright, Romeo? Just what would Juniper say if she saw you acting like this, hm?"

Alphonse's eye twitched.

 _Knock knock knock_

Letting out a deflated sigh, he stood up from the opposite sofa and went to answer the door. Who was on the other side of it was certainly not who he was expecting.

"Juniper! What are you doing here? I mean, why are you out of the hospital?" He exclaimed as he stood aside to let her in.

"I was discharged while you were out to lunch earlier. The doctor said I was well enough to go after all. I can even return to work in a week." She beamed at him as she walked in past him and went to sit down on the unoccupied sofa.

"Well, as long as you're feeling alright…" He trailed off.

"Thanks to you, I'm feeling more than alright." She reassured him gently before turning her attention to the book and basket she had perched on her lap. She placed the basket on the coffee table in front of her then held onto the book, briefly scanning over its cover. "I brought this over too." She passed the thick book to him as he sat down beside her. "This is my version of the complete basics of water alchemy, since you were so eager to know more about it before the incident."

Alphonse felt the weight in his hands. "Woah… This is just the basics? It seems quite extensive… and thorough too." He murmured as he thumbed through some of its pages. He was stunned at the detail. "It looks like you've put a lot of time into your research of it."

"Yeah well, when I began my study of it, I couldn't help but notice how vague a lot of the books about it were. Some alchemists who wrote some of the books even came across as being a bit hesitant to go into much detail too, like they were hoping it wouldn't capture much interest, but just enough so that it was worth looking into." She explained.

"Maybe because water is, or at least it can be, such a dangerous substance when used with the intent to be a harmful one." Edward said from the opposite sofa he still lay upon. "An alchemist with immoral intensions could poison an entire lake or a town's water supply with a simple transmutation. I'm not sure if anyone would be foolish enough to even try that, but water alchemy doesn't exactly have the best reputation."

"There are three State Alchemists actually now that I think about it, who use water based transmutations and turned criminal. The Freezing Alchemist, the Shadowfrost Alchemist and the Typhoon Alchemist. It's kind of strange when you consider it though." Alphonse stated.

Juniper let out a deep sigh. "It's stupidly ironic that one of the most beautiful and simplistic elements in alchemy is also one of the most deadly. It makes me a little nervous for when my abilities become public to be honest."

Edward chuckled. "You got nothin' to worry about. It's not like you're going to go on some psychotic rampage any time soon."

Alphonse scowled slightly at him but Juniper simply laughed. "I suppose so!" She noted Alphonse's hidden expression. "Maybe I shouldn't let you study water alchemy, Alphonse. Especially with that look in your eye." She playfully nudged his shoulder with her own.

"Al's just grumpy with me because I kept him from running back to the hospital after lunch today. Isn't that right, Romeo?" Edward said nonchalantly with a cheeky smirk.

Juniper tried to stifle her laughter. Poor Alphonse, his body was rigid and face flushed a bright red as he was glaring daggers at his older brother. She realised that the large book he was currently death-gripping in his hands probably wasn't far from being a projectile.

"It is very sweet though…" She murmured softly as she leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, feeling him instantly relax beside her.

Alphonse was fighting the urge to put his arm behind her back and around her waist to return the subtle gesture of affection, but the urge became too great and he went ahead and did it anyway, ignoring the looks on his brother's face for now.

Juniper felt her heart flutter and soar from the closeness and his touch. "A-Anyway… speaking of sweet stuff, I baked an apple pie for us. I got the recipe from Winry years ago. Would either of you like a…"

Juniper had reached for the basket she had previously placed on the coffee table, only it was no longer there. Edward had leapt up at the first mention of 'pie' and reached for the basket, plucked a slice from the delicious golden treat and bit into it.

"Oh wow! It does taste just like Winry's and Mrs Gracia's pie!" He muffled with a mouthful, making Juniper snicker softly and Alphonse roll his eyes.


	16. Dreamer

**Disclaimer:** I do not own FMA or any of the characters. They belong to Arakawa-Senpai~ I only own my OC's, my made up towns/cities/countries/other misc characters and this fanfiction.

 **Author's Note:** Hey there everyone~! Won't blab for long but this was a decently quick update considering I've been binge playing Breath of the Wild since it came out (sorrynotsorry). I apologize in advance for my horrible crack at humor in this chapter. Seriously, I'm so sorry. I'm clearly more suited to cheesy romances and lewd stuff ;3; But yes, things are starting to progress in this chapter, also, a lot of **alcohol use**. Another huge shout out to all the new favs and followers~! Seriously, I get giddy every time a new one of you pops up. So thank you so very much for your support, and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

This story also on ArchiveOfOurOwn .org. This will be **without** a lemon, the other one **will** have lemons.

* * *

 **Chapter:** Dreamer

 **Summary:** "Our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them…" - Walt Disney

* * *

 _WHAM!_

"Ow! What the fu-! BROTHER! Get off me!" Alphonse hollered groggily as he was jolted awake by being jumped upon and squished beneath Edward's heavy weight on his bed. You'd think after spending many years without the ability to sleep, that the elder Elric would let the younger sibling sleep in a little bit in the mornings, especially on his birthday. Alphonse audibly growled as Edward chuckled and ruffled his short blonde hair.

"Nope! Not until you agree to get up! It's too special of a day to stay in bed all morning. So, you're twenty two today huh? What an old man." Edward snickered back.

"Says the twenty three year old who's currently acting like he's only three." Alphonse snapped flatly.

Edward scoffed and clambered off his poor brother. "This is just payback for all of my birthdays you jumped on me back when we were kids." At the memory, Alphonse couldn't help but smirk and snigger quietly.

"Maybe that's why you're still so shor-!" He was cut off by a pillow forcefully smacking him in the face, which was followed by Edward's irritated snort as he left the room.

"Just hurry up, don't make me kick your ass on your birthday." He said as he left Alphonse's room.

"As if you could ever beat me without the use of a bed sheet." Alphonse muttered under his breath as he got out of bed and headed to the bathroom to prepare for the day ahead. Truth only knows whatever Edward has planned. As much as he hated the rude awakening, he always enjoyed the petty bickering he and Edward would have. Somehow, it made it feel as if they had grown up as normal boys, without the mistakes, pain and suffering they had to go through to get to where they are now. Alphonse believed Edward enjoyed it too, since he was generally the one who initiates it of course. Then again, Edward initiates bickering with almost anyone.

* * *

To say that Alphonse was glad that Edward had made no excessive plans for his birthday, it would be an understatement. Last year's surprise birthday party had _everyone_ that Edward and Alphonse knew in attendance, including Ling and his whole imperial entourage. It was somewhat overwhelming to say the least. Not that he wasn't grateful or anything; he had a great time of course. Alphonse was humble, and was happy to have a low key event with his closest family and friends. Today, he would spend most of it with Edward before they were to head over to Monroe's Bar with the rest of their military friends for what is meant to be a low key gathering.

Alphonse was relieved that that's exactly how it was when they arrived that night.

At a table that had clearly been observed for the large group, and with drinks in hand sat Roy, Riza, Havoc, Breda, Fuery, Armstrong, Maria Ross, Denny Brosh, Zampano, Jerso and…

 _'I wonder where Juniper is?'_ Alphonse pondered briefly before greeting the group. "Hello everyone." He got a mixture of 'Hey' and 'Happy Birthday' from the group and a very loud 'Oh Alphonse Elric! It's so hard to believe that you were but a boy in a suit of armor when I met you, now you're a strapping young man! Oh how time flies so fast!' from a bellowing and overly dramatic Armstrong, who had Maria and Denny clinging to his arms to prevent him from stripping off his shirt. Alphonse chuckled and expertly sidestepped to take his seat at the table without getting a crushing hug. He turned to the two chimeras

"Jerso, Zampano! It's been a while since I've seen you guys. How's it going with your families?"

After journeying with Alphonse when he travelled the Eastern countries, Jerso and Zampano had decided that, even if they never got their original bodies back, they didn't want to waste the lives they could still enjoy. So with a bit of reassurance and coaxing from Alphonse, they went back to reconcile with their families and explain what had happened to them over the years. It was rough in the beginning, but they were accepted back into their family's lives and couldn't be happier. Alphonse was beaming at them as they began to talk his ear off.

Sitting beside him, Edward glanced at the only unoccupied chair then fixed his golden gaze up to Roy and Riza across from him. It was Riza who noticed his curious gaze. Edward nodded slightly at the vacant seat then looked back questioningly. Riza simply smiled softly and nodded, which made Edward slump in his seat, clearly relieved. She wasn't at all surprised that Edward had picked up on his younger brother's attraction for Juniper too.

At this time, Mr Munroe had approached the group while carrying a large tray of an assortment of liquor that no one besides Armstrong recognised and placed it in the center of the round table.

"Righto ladies and gents, this round is already covered for you. The finest Iraylian brews in all of Amestris. Beer, ale, whiskey, mead and even a wine for the ladies if they so desire. These are my best products, so enjoy." He said with a chuckle as he set down they tray of alcohol. Everyone was a bit stunned before they started reaching for varies glasses or mugs.

"Who footed the bill? Was it you, Boss?" Havoc snickered with a cigarette in his mouth as he reached for one of the beer mugs.

Roy narrowed his eyes, but smirked back as he reached for a glass of whiskey for himself. "Of course not. As if I'd ever buy _you_ a round of anything." Everyone laughed.

"So who did?" Alphonse said as he inspected a dark brown glass bottle of honey mead. The label read _'Fox Estate Iraylian Honey Mead'_

"That would be me, birthday boy." A femininely playful and accented voice came from behind him. Alphonse spun around and, with the brightest smile, caught Juniper's hazel gaze with his own golden one as she moved to sit in the vacant seat beside him. She turned a dazzling smile to him before greeting everyone.

"Well it only seems right that I buy a round so you can enjoy the finest fruits of the Fox family's labour for your birthday." She shrugged nonchalantly with a soft smile before reaching over and grabbing the whiskey bottle and poured some into 13 shot glasses. She passed everyone a glass before taking her own. "I will warn you though; the whiskey is potent, so go easy."

Juniper raised her shot glass up. Everyone followed suit and together they shouted "Happy Birthday Alphonse!" then knocked back the whiskey in unison.

"Thank you so much for this everyone." Alphonse beamed happily before going a little wide-eyed. His body felt hot so suddenly that it shocked him, and by the looks on everyone's faces except for Juniper and Armstrong, they felt it too. "Wow… You weren't wrong about its potency." He murmured with a chuckle.

* * *

As drinks began to flow, Alphonse introduced her to those she had not met before. Juniper was curious about the chimera, having only ever heard of what they were in books, let alone meeting not one, but two human based chimera. They were really interesting to talk to, and very funny she found out. She also conversed with Maria and Denny for a while before Armstrong stood up and offered Juniper his hand, asking for a quick dance to the lively band in the bar that was an upbeat pub tune. She gladly accepted, since it had been so long since she had been able to dance like she would normally back home in her father's tavern.

"Wait, so how does Juniper know Armstrong?" Edward questioned Roy as he leaned his arm on the table with his hand curled around a mug of beer. Alphonse listened in too as he watched Juniper and Armstrong on the dancefloor. It was an odd sight, especially when it came to their very different body sizes, but they made it look as if they had done this before. Juniper was laughing out loudly with the fun she was having. It caused a soft flutter in Alphonse's chest.

"Well, according to Armstrong, both the Armstrong and Fox families have been very close associates ever since the Fox family returned to Amestris many years ago. Juniper's father, Dorian, needed a place to reopen his brewery, and the Armstrong family had an investment property they were willing to sell to them. However, it was far out of Dorian's price range at the time. So a deal was struck. Dorian purchased the property for half the original price in exchange for a lifetime contract of free liquor. It was just a good thing that Armstrong's father is quite the liquor enthusiast. Because of his influence, the Fox family has been successfully catering the liquor needs at every military ball since 1911 when they returned, which was a huge boost for them to re-establish themselves in Amestris." Roy explained as he slowly nursed a glass of whiskey in his hand.

Edward, along with a few others that had been listening, nodded in understanding and realization. "Ah, that's pretty cool huh?"

Armstrong now came back to the table and sat down. "How is everyone fairing? Shall I get us the next round then?" Before anyone could protest, he waved at Mr Munroe then motioned to the table with a twirl of his index finger. Mr Munroe simply nodded and grinned.

"Don't spoil us too much now Armstrong, don't wanna make Fullmetal legless tonight so poor Alphonse has to drag his sorry ass home." Roy snickered.

Edward of course, retaliated. "I already am legless, you bastard." Edward kicked the older man's shin under the table with his automail leg while grinning evilly.

Roy winced then growled. "Fuck! Damn you Fullmetal, you'll pay for that!"

"No he won't. You started this, Roy." Riza intoned flatly, but with a hint of amusement as Roy slumped and pouted slightly like a scolded child. She heard Edward snickering then shot him an _'It was funny but I can't pick sides so cut it out'_ glare. Edward merely gulped and chuckled nervously.

Meanwhile, Alphonse looked around the bar from where he still sat. _'She sure disappears a lot.'_

Unfortunately for him, Breda and Havoc caught him looking around, and knew exactly who he was looking for.

"Who are you looking for there, Chief?" Havoc said in a suspiciously curious tone with a hint of amusement. Both men wore all-knowing smiles as Alphonse snapped his attention back to the table.

"Wha- Huh? Oh… I was… It's nothing, really." Alphonse muttered quietly as he looked down into his glass of mead, which he had taken quite a liking to.

"I'm sure she'll be along soon, Romeo." Breda said then joined Havoc in their stifled laughter and snickering when Alphonse's face grew red and shot a death glare at Edward, who was now trying to stifle his own laughter as he waved his raised hands in front of him, feigning innocence.

"I've watched Winry detach your leg more than enough times to know how to do it myself, so you had better watch it, Brother." Alphonse grumbled matter-of-factly. Everyone at the table laughed as Edward paled.

Clearing her throat as she sat down, Juniper seemingly appeared from nowhere. She had heard the apparent conversation was smiling with mirth.

"Well Orpheus and Abelard, at least all the women that he likes, actually like him back." She said impudently, her bright smile never faltering. Havoc slumped dejectedly, and Breda squirmed uncomfortably.

"I bet Breda is Abelard." Roy sniggered

"Cause he got sacked in the jewels that one time." Fuery chuckled and looked at Breda, who was clearly wincing at the memory.

"And Havoc is Orpheus because he can't keep a woman long enough to get her home." Alphonse said with amusement as he turned to Juniper, who was now giggling beside him. He finally realised what the hidden meaning in her playful insult was. _'She likes me back?'_

Juniper felt his eyes on her and turned to him slightly while still giving him a sideways glance. She smiled softly and winked at him. _'So, you figured it out huh?'_ She was sure that if it weren't for the alcohol they'd already consumed, they'd both be blushing at each other.

* * *

The night was slowly beginning to unwind, but the multiplicity of conversations was still in high swing. Alphonse, Juniper and Riza were pacing themselves slowly, while the rest of them were well past the point of being 'just a bit tipsy'. With the exception of Armstrong, who seemed unaffected by the amount of alcohol he consumed, although for his size, it was no surprise his tolerance was astounding. Maria and Denny had both left an hour earlier, although not together, but still within 5 minutes of each other. It wasn't hard to see what was going on with that of course as everyone gave them suspicious and all-knowing looks. Juniper had disappeared again, but it wasn't for very long. When she returned, she placed an immaculate and very well decorated strawberries and cream cake in front of Alphonse, who went wide-eyed. The beautiful cake was covered in white frosting and whipped cream, with neatly sliced strawberries placed about it. In the center, written in very neat cursive chocolate frosting was _'Happy Birthday Alphonse'._ A single candle burned brightly above the words.

"This is a gift from Winry and I. She gave me her recipe for your favourite cake, and I baked it. I sure hope it turned out okay." She rubbed the back of her head. "I'm sorry, I perhaps should have brought it out earlier, but everyone had already started drinking. I still wanted you to have it though." She said as she, without even batting an eye, quickly snapped her hand out to smack away Edward's sneaky hand from sampling the cream and frosting.

"N-No… Don't apologise. This is amazing; it looks almost too good to eat." Alphonse was still a little stunned.

"Spe-..Speak for your shelf Al-phone..ssss. It looks de-… de-… It looks yum as hell!" Edward slurred hopelessly. He wasn't drunk enough to not know what he was saying, but he was enough to have brain-to-mouth failure.

Alphonse rolled his eyes. "Don't mind him; it's just been an awfully long time since he's been able to drink this much. Anyway, thank you so much Juniper. I've always loved having cake on my birthday." He leaned forward to blow out the candle, but was stopped by Juniper placing her hand on his shoulder.

"Wait a minute! You haven't even made a wish yet!" She exclaimed with amusement.

"Juliet is right, Romeo! Make the wish!" Roy gasped out dramatically then fell into a fit of giggles with the rest of the men there while Riza facepalmed.

Alphonse figured he'd amuse them. "Alright then." Then paused as he 'thought' about his wish before leaning forward and blowing out the single candle. Almost instantly, getting swamped with questions of what the wish was, and begging him to tell them.

"No way! It might not come true otherwise." Alphonse muttered as he plucked the candle from the cake before Juniper picked it up and took it back to Mr Monroe, who had been keeping it stored for her since she arrived. Cake would be much better enjoyed tomorrow when it was not paired with alcohol anyway.

"Come on little bro… You can tell big brother Ed... _*hic*_ ..nnnd I'll help it come true, I will."

"The only wish I have right now, is to get you home and to bed. You've got a train home to catch tomorrow." Alphonse said with a fond smile before polishing off the last of his mead then standing up to prepare for the tedious task of getting Edward in and out of a cab, then up 4 flights of stairs to his apartment. Easier said than done.

* * *

Finally, an hour after they had decided to leave, Alphonse, Edward and Juniper made it back to Alphonse's apartment. After Edward had given every one of his old friends a lengthy goodbye, Juniper and Alphonse had dragged him into a cab. It was only a very short trip, but very awkward for them. Edward had told Alphonse he loved him, he told Juniper he loved her, and much to their utter shock, he told the poor cab driver he also loved him. Juniper swore the poor man looked ready to throw himself out of the moving vehicle. That poor guy.

Now, they stumbled into Alphonse's apartment, with the drunkest of the three being carried by the other two. Juniper was also trying to balance the box the cake was in, and managed to shimmy it gently onto the coffee table when she passed it.

"Where's he going?" Juniper grunted as she hefted a heavy arm over her shoulders.

"My bedroom… You watch, as soon as his head hits the pillow, he'll be out like a light." Alphonse replied with a slight chuckle.

He was right. As soon as Edward was more or less tossed into the bed, he mumbled incoherently for a second. "Jun-per… dun forget to… to give Al his presnnnt. You said it was at… youurrrs…" Then he was out cold, snoring louder than he usually would when he went to bed sober. Juniper couldn't believe how much alcohol could affect him and make him so jovial.

She left the bedroom, followed by Alphonse who closed the door behind him.

"He's right though."

"Hmm?"

"I still haven't given you my gift yet… Well, there's actually two."

"Well in that case, why don't we go back to yours and have some tea and a slice of this cake I'm dying to try?" He beamed before his face fell. "That is, if you're not too tired?"

"You don't want to keep an eye on Ed?"

"I've fretted over his sleeping habits for a long time in the past, especially when he's been drinking. But I know now that he will not move an inch until his own hangover wakes him with vengeance in the morning." He smiled sheepishly.

Juniper shook her head and smirked as she reached for the cake box. "Well, if you're sure, then let's go."

* * *

The sweet, yet spicy aroma of chai tea filtered through the air of Juniper's apartment as two mugs sat on the coffee table. Alphonse sat in the dimly lit, yet warm lounge room as Juniper fetched his gift from her room. Juniper preferred to use candles rather than lamps all of the time, not exactly to save power, but more because it made it feel like home to her, where there was seldom electricity to begin with. Alphonse could empathise with her on that.

He dug his spoon into the spongey texture of his slice of cake and took another bite. It was mouth-wateringly perfect, just as he imagined it would be. He smirked to himself, he honestly felt more spoilt today than he did for all his birthdays, and he felt so gratified for such a wonderful day he had. He only wished he could've still been able to share it with his parents too.

Hearing the sweet sound of her bangles clinking together on her wrists, Alphonse looked up to see Juniper walking back into the room. She sat down on the sofa beside him and picked up her tea, gingerly sipping at it then placing it back down. She turned herself towards him, and he followed suit.

On her lap, a rather large leather bound book sat. There was no writing on the front of it, which piqued Alphonse's curiosity. With hooded eyes and a soft smile, she passed the book to him. It was nothing of what he was expecting, especially from her. It was a scrapbook, no, an album full of photographs of everyone in his life. At the start was a picture of his father, Hohenheim. The next was of his mother Trisha, a baby Edward in her arms and by the looks of it, himself when he was nothing more than just a big baby bump in her tummy. He flicked through further, each page filled with more photographs of himself and Edward as boys, along with their mother, Winry and her parents, Granny Pinako and Den, Izumi and Sig. The further he went, the older he looked in the pictures until he came across the first picture that was taken of him when he was in the armor. He slowly thumbed through each page in silence, watching as Edward and Winry grew and aged in each picture, while he remained the same, unchanged. Pressing on, he made it to the first few pictures that were taken of him when he got his body back, the first being at Central Command on The Promise Day, standing beside his brother in the massive group photo that was taken after their victory over Father. He couldn't believe how much his body had atrophied inside the Portal of Truth. The following pictures were a mixture of his long road to recovery, his many friends, Edward and Winry and their wedding day, his nephew and niece after they were born, and many events since. Reaching the end of the photos, he realised that half of the book's pages were still blank.

Juniper watched him nervously; he hadn't muttered a single word since she entered the room. She began to think that perhaps this wasn't such a good present after all. Catching the curious look on his face about the mass of leftover pages, she gently cleared her throat and spoke softly. "The rest of the book is for you to add more pictures to… i-if you wanted to that is."

"When did you do all this?" He whispered hoarsely.

"Back when I was training with Izumi. I have my own photo album you see, and I was adding to it one day when she became quite fond of the idea. So she took to gathering and hunting for as many pictures as she could get her hands on of you, Ed, and her family and made one of her own. She also made one for Edward, which he got last year from her, and I had the privilege of putting yours together. They're very personal, more so than a journal or diary. Edward's book and this one are exactly the same, up until the end here in the middle. I can only imagine that Edward would have been adding to it since then." She explained while being cautious. She still wasn't sure of his reaction yet. The last thing she wanted was to upset or offend him.

"Juniper?" He murmured softly.

"Yes?"

"Thank you… Thank you so much." He whispered on a shuddered breath. He felt so touched and moved by the very sweet and sentimental gift, and would forever cherish it. He couldn't wait to start adding to it himself.

Juniper had to hold back from letting out a rush of air as relief flooded through her. "You're very welcome. You were a very cute baby, if you don't mind me saying." She said with a fond smile as she watched he cheeks and the tips of his ears reddened slightly.

Alphonse placed the book upon the coffee table and turned towards her more as she took a sip of her tea. When she placed it back down, she mimicked his position and their eyes met. Her eyes twinkled as they caught the flickering light of the small flames dancing atop the candlesticks. It momentarily took his breath away as he stared deeply into the pools of mixed color, feeling lost and found all at the same time. Juniper too, found herself caught up in his spellbinding golden gaze, and she wasn't really sure if she wanted to get out of it either.

"There's still one more present." She murmured softly.

"There is?" He replied in the same manner as her.

Her hand came up and gently took his, her fingers intertwining with his own. Alphonse couldn't help the small affectionate smile on his face as he briefly glanced at their locked hands fitting perfectly with one another. Her skin was soft, her hands calloused; proof of her devotion to her work at her family business. "Yes. Though I think it was a bit late coming." She said after a beat.

"Why is that?"

The movement wasn't rushed, nor was it slow. But Alphonse's eyes flew open wide nonetheless as she gently pressed her soft lips to his own. He faintly could taste the sweetness of the strawberries and tea upon her lips, heightening the rush of sensations he felt. The pleasant shiver that shot throughout his body was overwhelming as he felt the multitude of sparks between them. Not just one, but a flurry of them that made his head feel like it was spinning. Before he could respond though, she slowly pulled away. Her cheeks were tinted pink and the adoring look she gave him melted him completely.

"It was late coming because it was the first thing I wanted to do when I woke up and found you at my bedside in the hospital, holding my hand just like this." Juniper gave his hand a gentle squeeze, and he squeezed back.

Alphonse refused to hold back anymore, now that he knew for sure how she felt. Letting go of her hand, he moved it up to cup her cheek tenderly while the other grabbed her waist and gently pulled her closer to him. "You know, I don't think my wish will come true, but my dream has."

"Why's that?" She murmured as she lightly nuzzled her cheek into his hand, where he began to caress it with his thumb.

"There's a saying; 'a dream is a wish your heart makes'. Well, my wish was from my heart, so I guess that makes it a dream now, right?"

Juniper giggled softly at his logic. "Okay. So what was your dream then?"

"I dreamed that I no longer had to suppress or hide how I feel about you." His eyes hooded slightly as she moved her face closer to press her forehead to his, their noses rubbing together affectionately.

"And you feel?" She snickered quietly as his face burned a little brighter. Juniper was sure hers was the same.

"I feel that I am absolutely, irrevocably and utterly in love with you Juniper." He said with a light peck on her cheek.

"Then I can assure you, that I am absolutely, irrevocably and utterly in love with you too."

Alphonse cupped her cheeks and pulled her delicate lips to his once again, falling backwards with her onto the sofa and holding her tightly against his chest as they continued to fall deeper and deeper.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** A few things I just wanna fill people in on. Saves you googling it xD

Orpheus – Orpheus' wife, Eurydice, dies and so he traveled to the underworld and his music softened the hearts of Hades and Persephone, who agreed to allow Eurydice to return with him to earth on one condition: he should walk in front of her and not look back until they both had reached the upper world. In his anxiety he forgot that both needed to be in the upper world, and he turned to look at her, and she vanished for the second time, but now forever. Makes me think of poor Havoc, unable to keep a lady ;-;

Abelard - Abelard and Heloise fell deeply in love, conceived a child, and were secretly married. But Fulbert (Heloise's uncle) was furious, so Abelard sent Heloise to safety in a convent. Thinking that he intended to abandon Heloise, Fulbert had his servants castrate Abelard while he slept. Yep. Castrate. Figured it would be a funny name to call someone if they got kicked in the jewels.

Told you my humor is awful xD


	17. Moving Forward

**Disclaimer:** I do not own FMA or any of the characters. They belong to Arakawa-Senpai~ I only own my OC's, my made up towns/cities/countries/other misc characters and this fanfiction.

 **Author's Note:** **Trigger Warning:** Just like the warning in chapter 10 (Darkness), this chapter has talk of past (heavily) unwanted but consented sex (Not quite rape, but I just want to note that I would never actually write any rape scenario!) so just in case that isn't your thing, the warning is written here, black and white. Another huge shout out to all the new favs and followers~! Thank you so very much for your support, and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

This story also on ArchiveOfOurOwn .org. This will be **without** a lemon, the other one **will** have lemons.

* * *

 **Chapter:** Moving Forward

 **Summary:** I looked at him as a friend, until I realized I loved him.

* * *

A day old newspaper rustled loudly as it crinkled under the tightening grip of tattoo-covered hands. Deep, rumbling hums and grunts emitted from the man they belonged to as he continued to read, but the events of the past month had him positively livid. Imagine! Two of his top alchemist henchmen getting themselves caught _after_ a successful robbery of the Central Bank. He supposed they were expendable enough; they'd never talk anyway before being put to trial and likely stuck with a life sentence in prison or face a firing squad. With that thought, he began to calm. Thanks to the massive haul that night, Typhoon and his gang of ex-military outlaws had left the beaten up slums of lower South City and had been on the move since. Currently, they were residing just outside the town boarders of Rush Valley in an old abandoned mining facility. He folded the paper and placed it down beside him on the sofa before sparking up a cigarette, inhaling it deeply just as his second in command walked in with today's newspaper he had been waiting on.

"You'll like the headlines today boss." Jagger said smoothly as he strolled in, passing Typhoon the paper and sitting down on the opposite sofa. He kicked his feet up onto the wobbly old coffee table and slumped back.

Typhoon grunted as he straightened the newspaper out. "Hmph! Better be good."

In big bold letters, the headlines read _'EARTH TREMORS RELENTLESS IN ISHVAL'_

Typhoon let out a sickening chuckle, grinning maliciously. "It's finally beginning. Ishval will become the pit of hell once again, and Amestris will quickly follow suit. This country will be mine before they even knew what fucking hit them!" He bellowed with glee and continued roaring with laughter. Jagger simply smirked.

"Yes, everything is going according to plan, but we still must tread with caution. At least until a war is well and truly under way." Jagger muttered slyly as Typhoon's laughter settled into a wicked grin.

"Yes, yes you are right. This is why we must be vigilant about the military's movements. Do you have anything to report?" He said, opening up the newspaper to look for any other news that might affect their plan.

"Yes. I've overheard a lot of talk about the military fixing its sights on the major cities and towns here in the South."

"Tch! Pathetic dogs. It takes a mass robbery of the Central Bank to get them off their asses to look for us huh? They'll be better off once we pummel them into the dirt. In any case, if that's true, then we can't hang here for too long. We need to stick to smaller towns from now on. Tell the men to be ready to move out in a week. "

* * *

Roy Mustang's office was in its usual serene silence for a Monday. Not your typical silence, but to his team it was their ideal working calmness. Fountain pens were scratching away at paper, some hastily and others gently. The radio that Furey usually tended to would occasionally crackle to life with some muffled voices mixed with static being heard, but usually remained dormant. Sometimes a telephone would ring and be answered, but conversations were short. The newest sound to accompany the rest was Juniper's delicate humming. Quiet enough to not be irritating, but loud enough to be heard and was found to be rather comforting. It was a subconscious working habit of hers that no one seemed to mind at all. Her tunes were soft, rhythmic and beautiful. Of course, one particular member of Roy's team seemed to be rather enthralled by it, to no one's surprise.

Alphonse often wondered what her singing voice would be like.

It had been just over three weeks since his birthday, yet he still couldn't stop thinking of that night. Keeping in mind the 'no fraternisation' rule in the military, they both agreed to keep their budding romance a complete secret. So far, everyone had just assumed the pair was still not-so-secretly yearning for each other. But this had resulted in no affections since Alphonse's birthday, not that either of them overly minded it. Alphonse was glad to not be rushing into something so quickly for a change, considering Juniper was new to 'the relationship game'. Still, he often found himself thinking back to that night…

 _Alphonse cupped her cheeks and pulled her delicate lips to his once again, falling backwards with her onto the sofa and holding her tightly against his chest as they continued to fall deeper and deeper. He felt so light, despite his heart hammering hard within. He was sure she would hear it, because he could hear hers too, almost beating in perfect sync. The kiss began to deepen a little more as Alphonse lightly ran his tongue over her bottom lip, asking for entrance, to which she conceded with a soft murmur. His hands began to make slow circles, caressing the small of her back ever so gently. The kiss was reluctantly broken for the need of air, and Juniper giggled softly. Alphonse smiled against her lips as he gave her a few sweet little pecks, adoringly gazing at her flushed face._

 _"What's funny?" He said dazedly as she let out a sigh of contentment. He was glad he could make her feel that way._

 _"I was just thinking of how plainly obvious it was that we both wanted to do that since we met each other." She giggled again as his face grew redder._

 _"S-So… You knew that I-..?"_

 _"You've made moving to Central so easy for me and you've been nothing but a gentleman since that night after my final exam. Not to mention you saved my life and helped me recover much faster than I would have on my own…" She paused. "…You also never left my side the whole time I was unconscious… I had a feeling of how you felt about me, because I was feeling the same… To be honest, I tried to deny how strongly I felt about you, but I quickly learned that it was a battle not worth fighting. The heart wants what the heart wants after all." She said sheepishly._

 _He smiled lovingly as he lightly traced the tips of his fingers over her brow and temple to move a lock of hair from her eyes, then trailing down the side of her face. "You know, so did I. I guess we're both hopeless romantics."_

 _Their lips met once again briefly before Juniper spoke again. "I think I tend to agree with you on that one, Colonel Elric."_

Alphonse loved reliving that night in his mind, even when Juniper was sitting beside him, humming away while she worked. He was broken from his daydreams when an officer from communications entered the office and asked for her.

Juniper stopped humming and stood up from her desk. "Yes?"

"Urgent telegram for you, Major Fox." The soldier said as Juniper stepped up to him and took the small notepad sized paper from him.

"Thank you." She muttered softly as she began looking over it. The soldier saluted and promptly left the office.

Her brow furrowed in confusion as she noted that it was from Riley Connors, the young man who she met during exams. They had swapped contact information to stay in touch, but she couldn't work out why he would send her a telegram. That is, she didn't understand until she read, then re-read what it said, only pausing briefly to translate it.

 _Major Juniper Fox. STOP._

 _Enil etavirp a morf. Em llac. STOP._

 _P.S Reciffo gnidnammoc ruoy htiw. STOP._

Juniper walked over to Roy's desk and passed him the telegram when he looked up. She knew he was smart enough to work out the hidden message, the spark of realisation was apparent in his obsidian eyes as he stood up from his desk almost instantly.

"Very well, let's follow this up, Swiftshot." Roy said as he began to head for the door. Juniper nodded affirmatively and followed silently, giving Alphonse a discreet reassuring smile as she walked by. Passing Havoc's desk, Roy dropped the telegram into the ashtray there and, with a snap, it burst into flames, and then the two alchemists were gone.

* * *

"Thank you Mr Connors, you've been a big help." Roy muttered slyly before hanging up the receiver. He closed his pocket journal and tucked it away in his uniform before stepping out of the phone box, where Juniper was dutifully waiting.

"Good work Swiftshot. That was a decent lead. Keep it up and you might just earn yourself a promotion before your first year." He said with a smirk.

"Thank you Sir." She replied sheepishly as she followed her General through the park they had come to in order to make the call.

Roy surveyed their location briefly. The large park they walked through was quiet, with barely a person going by due to it being a Monday and the weather looked as if it might turn to rain anytime soon, despite the warm air around them.

"Let's take a small walk; it's rather pleasant out here and I could use some air."

"Uh.. Okay sir." Juniper was a little surprised, but continued on nonetheless.

"How have you been feeling since coming back to work?" Roy figured he'd start the conversation easy.

"Oh yes, great actually. I'm just so relieved to finally be back…. I'm sorry for the trouble I caused that night." Juniper looked down at her feet as they walked.

Roy looked at her sympathetically as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "I'll admit, it's not the way I would have liked to have handled things, but we caught two criminals because of you. I honestly didn't think we were going to get even one without getting our men hurt in the process."

"Yes I know, but still; I won't let my impulses control my actions like that again." She smiled apologetically.

Roy knew he needed to handle this next question delicately. Coming across a park bench under the coverage of a large oak tree, he took a seat and waited for her to join him before gently searching her for answers. "Yeah… About that…" He went quiet for a beat. "Juniper, if it's not too painful for you, could you please tell me why you acted on impulse? What prompted you to put yourself in harm's way like that?"

As expected, she hesitated, her hands fisted against her lap tightly. The memory would forever be painful, no matter how much time she had. It was something that would stay with her until her last breath. She regarded Roy, looking into his obsidian eyes for even the slightest hint of untrustworthiness. She held his gaze, searching, hoping, that she could trust him with a secret kept even from her family. Roy knew it was hard for her, even without having the slightest idea of what tormented her. Her eyes dropped back to her lap, and he thought she was going to refuse. But when he caught her hazel eyes discreetly darting back and forth for nearby people, he knew she was about to open up.

"You'll be the first person I've ever told this to, Roy." She murmured as her eyes spoke wordlessly to him as well. _"I trust you."_ He nodded and patiently waited for her to begin. He didn't at all mind that she had said his name.

"I was 17… and it was a normal day in Kadayr… well, at least as normal as New Year's Day could be. My family and I went about business as usual until a squadron of military officers entered the tavern, asking to be put up for the night. Most of them had to bunk up, except for one we assumed to be the commanding officer, who I now know was Typhoon. We suspected something wasn't quite right when the majority of them got drunk, which is not exactly something you'd expect of traveling soldiers. Our suspicions only heightened when they gave us those pocket watches as payment. My Da accepted them simply because he knew they were rogues, being a retired soldier himself. He didn't want anything to kick up, so he told my brother and I to act none the wiser. Although, that's when I started feeling like I was being watched. I couldn't shake the feeling, but I knew I had to be as blasé as I could." Juniper stopped talking so suddenly that Roy blinked, wondering if there was more. Her demeanor changed, tensing her shoulders and balling her hands into tighter fists on her lap. Roy noted this, but remained silent.

"It was Jagger that had been watching me all that time. He came into my room when the rest of my family were asleep. He knew that we had figured their gang out, he knew we weren't going to say anything yet he still took joy in laying the threats on thickly. He made his intentions of being in my bedroom clear rather quickly by transmuting a tacky bomb right before my eyes, saying that if I didn't cooperate, my family and our tavern would be gone by morning… so I-… I conceded… to save my family. I had no choice. Not even my basic knowledge of alchemy at the time would have saved me and my family against a former State Alchemist."

Roy's eyes widened as he slowly realized exactly what Juniper was portraying.

"He marked me; cutting my body with the sharp edges of one of my arrows for his own sadistic pleasure while he proceeded with his painful and vile act that I so hatefully agreed to... I couldn't scream, nor call for help; I had to simply succumb to it, crying silently for it to be nothing but a nightmare… They say a person's first time doing… _that_ … is memorable. But I'll never be able to forget the pain and suffering that awful man made me endure. The worst part is, I don't regret it, and never will be able to because I know for a fact he was not bluffing with his threats of murdering the only family I have left if I didn't submit to that inevitable outcome." She finished, turning her head away from him to hide the utter disgrace and humiliation that was expressed in her eyes.

Roy slumped forward, his elbows resting on his knees as he hung his head. He knew it would be bad, he knew it had something to do with Jagger, but he never could imagine it would be to this degree. His heart felt torn for the broken young woman beside him, and slightly hated himself for seeking this information. Only he knew what had happened to her, and he felt somewhat empowered to do even more to catch Jagger and Typhoon, and anyone else that follow them because of it.

"Juniper." Roy spoke roughly, his voice tinged with raw, withheld emotion. "We're going to catch them. They will be brought to justice for everything they've done, including what you've just told me. Can I continue to rely on you to help us accomplish this goal?"

She turned to him again, and the determination he expressed was palpable. It instilled her confidence back. "Yes Sir!"

Roy smirked, being rather impressed with her quick mood recovery. "You're not alone in this battle anymore Juniper. Don't ever forget that." He stood up from the park bench and turned to her.

Juniper smirked back and stood. "Thank you Sir."

They began strolling back towards Central Command, but before leaving the vicinity of the quiet park, Roy had one more topic to bring to the forefront. "Pardon me for being so blunt, but I hear you and my young Colonel have possibly begun disregarding the 'no fraternization' rule." He said it almost nonchalantly, and it halted Juniper dead in her tracks.

Roy stopped and turned to face her, his expression not giving anything away. "Is this true?"

Juniper knew she was a bad liar, but what would happen if she told the General the truth? She began to panic as her face flushed completely crimson. "I-… Uh-… That is-… I mean-…"

To her utter shock, and much relief, Roy began laughing as he spoke. "Don't worry Major. I'm actually one of the Generals that is trying to get that stupid rule abolished."

Juniper blinked, still stunned. "Did he tell you?"

"Not exactly. I could just see the signs."

"So… does that mean you're going to punish us? Or separate us from working together?" Juniper worried her bottom lip.

"If I did that, then I'd have to send Hawkeye away to be separated from me." He said with a smile, a wink, and then continued back to the office, leaving Juniper stunned for more reasons than one.

* * *

"Here." Roy grunted as he handed Riza a wad of money. The two were walking home after work, Roy walking Riza to her apartment first before heading off on his own as usual. "I'm never betting with you again."

Riza smirked evilly as she pocketed her winnings. "Who confirmed it?"

"Fox did. We both know Juniper isn't the type to stutter, and she could barely get a word out when I asked her about it. Not to mention her face turned the most charming color." Roy snickered.

"You're truly cruel Sir."

"Says the one who's carrying half my weeks wage in her pocket."

"You should have known it was stupid to bet against me, especially when it comes to those two."

Roy let out a defeated sigh.

"Did you tell her?" Riza asked.

"Yeah, I think it was the only way to reassure her that it was okay."

Riza smiled. "I'm glad you did." She paused as they approached her apartment complex. "Well I guess I can make you dinner then, considering I'm that much richer this week."

"Oh, how wonderful you are." Roy murmured as they made their way upstairs and into her apartment. Once the door was shut behind him, he couldn't resist. "What a fine wife you would make one day." He teased as he threw himself down onto a sofa.

Riza snorted with amusement. "You're sounding like Maes, Roy." She turned to face him and noticed he was leaning forward, his elbows on his knees and his hands folded together in front of his mouth; his deep thinking position. "What is it?" Riza asked after a beat.

Roy slowly leaned back with a devious smirk on his face. "Just an idea I had for following up the lead we got today."

Riza let out an exasperated sigh.

* * *

"Hey Alphonse?" Juniper murmured quietly from her spot on one of the sofas at her place. She had closed the book she was reading and turned to look out the window beside her.

"Yeah?" Turning golden eyes up from his own book, Alphonse tilted his head slightly as she appeared to be fretting.

"I need to tell you something, but you have to promise not to freak out, alright?"

"Jeez you're cute when you worry." He laughed as she tossed a cushion at him. "Okay okay, I promise I won't freak out. What is it?"

"Well, today when I was out of the office with the General, he more or less told me that he and Hawkeye are… well… together."

It was quiet for a moment before Alphonse chuckled softly. "Why would I freak out about that? I always knew they liked each other in that way. So they're ignoring the 'no fraternization rule' just like us-."

Juniper cut him off. "That's not it. Why do you think he would suddenly come out and tell me something like that?"

Alphonse blinked, quiet for a beat as he waited for her to elaborate.

"He told me to reassure me that _this_ -." She gestured her hand between them. "-was okay." Mustang and, I'm assuming Hawkeye too, worked out you and me are together."

The room was silent for a moment before Alphonse's eyes went wide with realization.

" _WHAT!?_ They figured it out?! But we've been so discreet! What's going to happen now? What if we get separated? Or worse, transferred!? What if-mmff..! _Mmmh…_ " Warm, soft lips silenced him quickly as gentle hands cupped his cheeks. He couldn't resist deepening the kiss before it broke off, earning him a soft murmur from her.

Juniper looked up into his eyes and giggled softly. "Nothing is going to happen to us. Do you think Mustang would have told me about himself and Hawkeye if he was going to have us separated?" She leaned up and pecked his cheek. "And you promised me you weren't going to freak out."

Alphonse's sheepish smile slowly shifted into a devilish smirk. "Oh, I apologize. How can I ever make it up to you?"

Juniper licked her bottom lip, not failing to catch his attention. "There is one way."

"Very well." Alphonse whispered before sealing his lips with hers once again.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Hint for the telegram: Read it backwards :p


End file.
